The findings also revealed one in five people from Yorkshire and Humberside would be willing to give up a day's pay if it meant saving a child's life, even if they had never met.

The survey, conducted by Save the Children, found that:

One in 10 people from Yorkshire and Humberside would relinquish their home, more than any other region;

People living in the South, excluding London, were more likely to give up a day's pay – 24 per cent;

Scots were more likely to give up buying a new car than the English or Welsh – 12 per cent;

People living in the North East were more likely to sacrifice a holiday –17 per cent.

The survey coincides with Save the Children's launch of its EVERY ONE campaign calling on world leader's to meet globally agreed targets on cutting child deaths by two-thirds a year by 2015.

Celebrities backing the campaign include actresses Emma Thompson and Julie Walters and singer Annie Lennox.

Jasmine Whitbread, Save the Children's chief executive, said: "The British public have shown what they are prepared to do to save a child's life. Now we are calling on world leaders and governments to do the same. Every child deserves the right to live and every one of us has a responsibility to act."