Britain most proud of William Shakespeare

London: William Shakespeare has topped a list of symbols, which instil a sense of pride among people in Britain, a poll has suggested.

He beat the pound, the monarchy and the BBC, according to the poll commissioned by think tank Demos. Parliament and the legal system came bottom. Around 75 percent Britons agreed with the statement ‘I am proud of William Shakespeare as a symbol of Britain’, according to the poll commissioned by think tank Demos, the BBC reported. On the other hand, there were only 47 percent of the respondents who agreed with the sentence ‘I am proud of Parliament as a symbol of Britain’. The poll``s participants were asked if they were proud of a range of things as symbols of Britain. The results were: Shakespeare 75 percent; National Trust 72 percent; armed forces 72 percent; Union Jack 71 percent; the pound 70 percent; NHS 69 percent; the monarchy 68percent; BBC 63 percent; sporting achievements 58 percent; the Beatles 51percent; the legal system 51 percent and Parliament 47 percent. The Demos poll was carried out by YouGov and took into consideration 2,086 British citizens online and in focus groups between 4 and 9 May. ANI