This is according to a poll published Saturday, less than a week before an Oslo court is due to deliver its verdict.

The poll, commissioned by the weekend magazine of Oslo daily VG, found that 62% of those surveyed believe the extreme right-winger Breivik is sane enough to be held responsible for the murder of 77 people, while nearly 15% said he should be declared legally insane.

A further 23% of the 66 psychiatrists and psychologists who took part in the June 20 to July 14 survey said they were uncertain.

The Oslo District Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on Friday. A key issue is how the court will rule concerning his mental health. If declared legally insane, he would be held in a mental health care institute rather than in jail.

Breivik has asked to be acquitted over the July 22, 2011 bombing and shooting attacks and insists he is sane, insisting he has done nothing wrong and was cleansing Norway of its increasing multiculturalism.

Two teams of court-appointed psychiatrists reached different conclusions on his mental health, with a first team concluding that he was legally insane and that his acts were fuelled by delusions and a desire for violence, and a second team arguing that, while he suffered from narcissistic personality disorder and anti-social personality disorder, he was still legally sane.

The prosecution has argued during the 10-week trial that there are no doubts about Breivik's sanity.

Olaf Bakke, a psychiatric specialist at Arendal Hospital, noted to VG that the first evaluation should carry more weight as it took place closest in time to the acts.