Sixty per cent of people in a new YouGov poll would plump for a literary life – while only 5% fancied heading down the mines

James Joyce might have described writing in English as “the most ingenious torture ever devised for sins committed in previous lives”, but the people of Britain appear unconcerned, with the role of author voted the most desired job in the country.

A new poll for YouGov of almost 15,000 people found that 60% would like to be an author. The news may come as a surprise to the bestselling and critically acclaimed novelist Sebastian Faulks, who this weekend expressed his wish to find a job, writing in the Spectator that he has “now spent almost a quarter of a century alone in a garret staring at a blank wall, and I think it has driven me a bit mad”.

Respondents to the YouGov survey were shown a selection of different jobs, and asked whether or not they would like to do each for a living. The second most desired job was librarian, with 54% citing the role as the job they would most like to do, and 51% expressing a wish to be an academic.

“The most desired jobs in Britain are not what you might expect; they are not even the most reliably well paid ones. Instead of actors and musicians, it seems that an aura of prestige still surrounds the quiet, intellectual life enjoyed by authors, librarians and academics,” said YouGov. According to a survey carried out by Digital Book World earlier this year, almost a third of published authors make less than $500 (£350) a year from their writing.

The role of author was also the least unpopular job amongst respondents, added YouGov, with the smallest percentage of people – 32% – not wanting to be one. Women were 7% more likely than men to want to be an author, found the survey, and 20% more likely to want to be a librarian.

The least desired job was miner, with just 5% citing it as their most desired job, followed by call-centre worker (7%) and traffic warden (10%).