Shakespeare instils a sense of pride among a high percentage of the British.
Just 47 per cent of respondents agreed with the sentence ‘I am proud of Parliament as a symbol of Britain’
The National Trust of UK have topped a list of symbols that inspire a sense of pride in the British public, beating the pound, the monarchy and the BBC, according to a survey.
Parliament and the legal system came bottom of the table in the poll commissioned by think-tank Demos.
Just 47 per cent of respondents agreed with the sentence “I am proud of Parliament as a symbol of Britain” and 51 per cent with the statement “I am proud of the legal system as a symbol of Britain”.
Participants were asked whether they agreed that they were proud of the following things as symbols of Britain, and in order of popularity they were: Shakespeare 75 per cent; National Trust 72 per cent; Armed forces 72 per cent; Union Jack 71 per cent; The pound 70 per cent; NHS 69 per cent; The monarchy 68 per cent; BBC 63 per cent; Sporting achievements 58 per cent; The Beatles 51 per cent; The legal system 51 per cent; Parliament 47 per cent.
Demos also found that volunteering was the single most important factor influencing how patriotic people are, leading the organisation to recommend the introduction of at least 16 hours of accredited volunteering as a “practical” element of the Life in the UK citizenship test.
Only one in four of those who “strongly agree” with the statement “I am proud to be a British citizen” have never volunteered, compared to two in five who have volunteered in the last 12 months.
If someone has volunteered in the last 12 months there is a 35 per cent chance that they strongly agree with the statement “I am proud to be a British citizen”, compared to a 29 per cent chance for those who have not volunteered in the past year.
People who volunteer are also more optimistic than those who do not – 27 per cent of people who have volunteered in the past year disagree with the statement “Britain’s best days are behind her”, compared to 19 per cent of those who have not.