The teaching of computer coding should be prioritised over modern languages, according to a survey of British adults.
Twice as many thought teaching computer coding in school should be a priority than the number who saw Mandarin Chinese as more important. Coding was the top choice for 52%, against 38% who favoured French lessons, 32% Spanish, 25% German and 24% Mandarin.
The poll was published by code.org, a campaign to introduce children and parents to coding. It has created Hour of Code, a series of free tutorials designed to show students the basics of programming in an hour.
They feature well-known characters from apps and games and includes one in which Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft's Bill Gates encourage learners to program their own Angry Bird from the app of the same name.
Avid Larizadeh, head of Hour of Code UK, said: "While we want to demystify the world of coding and make it fun for kids and their parents, the research shows that more and more people are realising that these skills will be inherent as the digital world becomes the everyday."
Ian Livingstone, founder of the Games Workshop, said: "Our world has become exponentially reliant on technology. It is vital that children learn how to become creators, not just consumers of digital technology. It is the difference between reading and writing. Code powers innovation and creativity.
"Coding is no longer a marginal skill for geeks. From making games, to fighting cybercrime, to designing a jet propulsion engine, computing is essential knowledge. Learning to code will enable children to become problem-solvers and digital-makers for jobs that don't yet exist."
The survey of 2,002 adults across the UK was conducted in the past month.