Half of all British parents would not want to send their child to a private school even if it was free, new research has revealed.
The survey, conducted by YouGov, showed 50% of parents wanted their children to go to a state school.
One reason parents gave was because they had themselves been to one, with three out of five saying they thought it was important for their child to mix with other pupils from all walks of life, the Independent reported.
Around 37% said they felt it was the duty of the Government to provide good quality education for all the nation's children.
Half of British parents would not want to send their child to a private school
Parents felt the most strongly in Scotland and Wales, and the least strongly in London, the Evening Standard reported.
More than 30% said they would send their child to private school if they did not have to pay.
Of those parents, 81% said they felt private schools offered the opportunity of a better education, while others mentioned advantages of an "old boys' network" and because they believe there is less chance of their child being bullied at school.
Richard Boyd, of Duncan Lawrie private bank - which funded the survey, said: "The average price of sending a child to private school has seen a real term rise of almost 65% since the early 90s and - while many children might be lucky enough to benefit from scholarships and bursaries - there are still many parents having to pay significant amounts of money to keep their child in private school."