The gentle blundering of Winnie-the-Pooh has seen off the magical powers of Harry Potter to be voted the UK’s favourite childhood book character.

A poll of 1,200 people who read at least once a week saw AA Milne’s creation top the list of favourite characters from childhood books, ahead of JK Rowling’s boy wizard. George, Enid Blyton’s tomboy adventurer from the Famous Five, came in third place, with The Hobbit’s Bilbo Baggins and Roald Dahl’s Matilda in fourth and fifth places.

Asked why they liked particular characters, 45% of respondents cited an adventurous nature – a characteristic that is certainly not true for Pooh, and only reluctantly so for Bilbo. Just over a third (37%) said their favourite character taught them to be different, while 33% said their choice of literary hero “felt like a good friend”.

The survey was commissioned by the Reading Agency, which launches its Summer Reading Challenge for children in libraries across the country on Saturday. “We know the power of picking up a book you love and discovering a favourite character … The Summer Reading Challenge gives children the chance to be transported and inspired by the adventures of their favourite characters, and read books that can go on to play a fundamental role in their lives,” said chief executive Sue Wilkinson.

The top 10 was completed by a handful of classic characters, with Lucy from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe followed by The Cat in the Hat, Spot the Dog and Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web. Jacqueline Wilson’s creation Tracey Beaker took 10th place.

The Reading Agency’s list includes characters from some of the same authors who featured on the BBC’s new lineup of the top 10 titles every child should read. This was criticised earlier this week by reading charity Booktrust’s chief executive Diana Gerald, who said that “too often, children are given ‘timeless classics’ to read, when there are so many other, newer books that are just as brilliant but can also talk to them about the world they know, in language that resonates with them.”

“We keep covering old ground when it comes to the notion of a ‘must-read’ book. There’s nothing new, no sense of exploration or departure from what’s come before – and in the case of lists for children, they don’t always reflect what young people are actually reading for pleasure,” agreed the novelist Samantha Shannon, in a piece for the Guardian.

Wilkinson said that the Reading Agency undertook its new survey because it was “curious about which characters would stand the test of time and stay with us into adulthood, and the ones that would remain firm favourites across the generations”. Harry Potter, it discovered, was a favourite for 48% of 16-24 year olds but only 3% of respondents over 55, while Pooh was a favourite for all ages. The survey’s older respondents preferred The Famous Five’s George and Bilbo Baggins to Harry Potter.

More than 750,000 children aged between four and 11 will take part in the Summer Reading Challenge, which encourages them to visit libraries and read six books over the holidays. The initiative’s 18th year will see it named the Big Friendly Read, to mark the centenary of Roald Dahl.

“We hope that the children walking through the doors of libraries enjoy taking part and finish the summer with a newfound love of reading,” said Wilkinson.

The full list of characters voted on, in order of popularity: