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One in 10 Britons admits cheating the system at school by watching film versions of classic novels instead of reading the original texts, according to a YouGov poll.
The Guardian reports that it is no surprise that Baz Luhrmann's Romeo And Juliet and the BBC's Pride And Prejudice were frequently watched, with both texts regularly figuring in secondary school English classes.
The poll was commissioned by academic bookseller Blackwell and also found that Londoners were the worst culprits, with 16% admitting to using the films to sidestep the texts.
Phil Jamieson, head of marketing at Blackwell, said: "Classic books are timeless. You will find contemporary themes such as love, sex, murder, mystery and high-octane drama in all the great novels, which is why they still appeal to the masses to this day through films and have parallels with our daily lives."
YouGov questioned more than 2,000 adults about their reading habits for the survey.