| MUMBAI:
The Raw survey was conducted as part of the second phase of Reading and Writing
(Raw), the BBC's biggest ever literacy campaign. Raw is aimed at the 12.1
million adults in the UK who can read and write, but could not pass a GCSE in
English. The BBC Raw survey for World Book Day suggests that reading
is an important activity for 79 per cent of people in the UK, beating TV (67 per
cent), computer games (15 per cent), gardening (49 per cent) – and even sex (69
per cent) – in the popularity stakes. The survey was conducted
via face-to-face interviews with 4,000 adults - representing a cross section of
the UK population - by TNS on behalf of BBC Audience Research. Interviews suggest
that reading is paramount in Britons lives. Overall the results
show that, across the UK, picking up a book or a newspaper is in the top three
activities – alongside listening to music and spending time with friends and family.
However, although 82 per cent of the population say they enjoy their reading,
there is still a significant 17 per cent of adults surveyed who say they do not.
BBC Learning and Interactive controller Liz Cleaver says, "This survey
shows how much everyone can get from reading but also highlights that there are
around one in five adults who don't make time to read. Raw wants to inspire these
people to enjoy reading in a way that's relevant to them. "Raw
makes reading accessible and encourages reluctant readers to see what they can
gain by making reading a central part of their lives." The
focus of the campaign is to build learning confidence by helping people rediscover
the fun of reading. Although reading emerges triumphant in the survey, the study
suggests a difference between the sexes - it seems the British male could now
be losing out in the bedroom to the competing charms of a good book. The
results suggest that, for women, reading is much more popular than sex. While
more than eight out of ten women like to cuddle up with a book, men are equally
sure about what they want between the covers. Three quarters of men rated sex
as important, while only 64 per cent of women felt the same. The
survey results are released as the BBC launches the second phase of its three-year
Raw literacy campaign. There will be a swathe of programming on radio and television,
as well as events around the country, for adults who lack confidence with their
reading and writing skills. Raw focusses on putting the fun back
into reading for people who might steer away from formal educational schemes. | 
