A shocking 30% of Scotland's children believe that a line from one of Robert Burns most famous poems, To A Mouse, was written by American rapper Kanye West - a survey has revealed today.
The research, commissioned by Silverburn in Glasgow, reveals that children in the UK now struggle to recognise the prose of Scotland's National Bard.
Despite Burns celebrations taking place at schools across the country, one in five children (20%) also believed that January 25 - Burns Night - is when The Brit Awards will take place.
It seems that poetry is not the only element of the Bard causing confusion amongst the nation's children, with a quarter (25%) believing that his birth year of 1759 is when World War 1 took place.
When asked "Who is Scotland's National Bard?" children were more confident, however, with over 70% voting Robert Burns, whilst more than 10% of children believed the Bard to be Scottish singer Paolo Nutini.
To ensure that children have the opportunity to engage with Robert Burns poetry this weekend, Silverburn will be inviting families down to the centre to hear a Scottish hip hop artist perform an exclusive rap version of 'To A Mouse'. The free event will take place outside Debenhams on Sunday at 1pm.
Lynne Butler, Marketing Manager at Silverburn, said: "We were really surprised to see that so many children struggled to recognise a line from one of Robert Burns most famous poems. Burns is part of the fabric of Scottish culture, so we're really excited to bring an exclusive performance of his work to Silverburn - giving kids an exciting and contemporary context in which they can enjoy Scotland s most celebrated poet."
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