NEARLY half of all residents in Valencia and Castilla y León would happily go without sex for a year in exchange for being fluent in English, a survey by Cambridge University Press has found.
And two-thirds of residents in La Rioja would rather be able to speak English well than be able to make themselves invisible at will.
If a 'magic pill' were available for a cost of 10,000 euros which, after taking it, the person would be able to speak English like a native, seven in 10 residents in Extremadura and half of all those in the Canary Islands would save up the money.
The surreal opinion poll found that the ability to speak English is considered to be one of the most important and longed-for skills among Spaniards, and most would sacrifice a great deal to be able to do so.
This is less the case in Galicia, Madrid, Cantabria and the Canary Islands, where the majority of residents would choose the power to make themselves invisible over being able to speak English fluently, and only a third of Galicia's population would be prepared to give up sex for a year if it meant they had a native level of the language.
Respondents were also asked what they thought about the level of English among Spaniards, and most believed it was well below par.
In the land-locked western region of Extremadura, 85% said it was 'very bad' and all of the remainder said it was 'bad'.
Only 38% believed the level of English teaching in their region was 'good'.
Despite their apparent good intentions, only 20% of Extremadura's population is currently studying English – a figure that is not much higher in Madrid or Navarra where a quarter of residents are learning or improving their skills in the language.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com