London:
Only one out of five Britons knows that William Shakespeare wrote 'Hamlet' and the majority also struggles to name Charles Dickens as the author of 'Great Expectations', a new survey has found.
The study also found that one in nine Britons had not read a book in the past year.
When they do pick up a book, one in ten men and one out of 30 women read while in the toilet.
Nearly half of them read just before they go to sleep, 'metro.co.uk' reported.
Many people say they skip reading classic literature due to lack of time, while others preferred watching film versions of the books.
"Unfortunately, for many people, reading is now a luxury and something they cannot commit a great deal of time to," said James Endersby, managing director of Opinium Research, which conducted the poll.
"What would be great is if everyone decided to pick one classic book to read during the winter months," he said.