Research highlights young people's DIY incompetencies

With the August bank holiday approaching, many will be thinking of spending the long weekend doing a spot of DIY.
 
But this Great British pastime appears to be on the way out as research from the AA's Home Emergency Response service reveals the nation's decline in household handiness.
 
How many young men does it take to change a lightbulb?
 
Despite being one of the simplest household tasks, changing a lightbulb seems to be too tricky for many. Just 65% of men aged 18-24 say they can change a lightbulb, compared to 71% of women the same age. In contrast, over 65s are much more competent - 99% of men and 93% of women can do it.
 
Overall, 42% of 18-24 year olds can change a fuse in a plug, compared to 88% of over 65s. Thirty-eight percent of 18-24 year olds would feel confident unblocking a drain, whereas 74% of over 65s feel able to do it.
 
Other tasks that bamboozle the younger generation include (18-24 years olds vs. over 65s):

Changing a plug on an electrical item (28% vs. 82%)

Bleeding a radiator (23% vs. 75%)

Replacing a washer in a dripping tap (14% vs. 41%)

Filling a patch or hole in a wall (35% vs. 68%)
 
Though the majority (41%) would opt to hire a tradesperson to sort out problems around the home, a third (31%) of over 65s would try to fix a problem themselves, whereas only 13% of under 35s are confident enough to do the same.
 
‘Man with a shed'
 
Tom Stringer, head of the AA's Home Emergency Response service said: "The traditional ‘man with a shed' looks to be a dying breed. Younger people appear to be more interested in technology which seems to have replaced ‘manly' pursuits such as DIY as a benchmark of masculinity.
 
"I imagine some of those who were brought up to be able to carry out basic household maintenance tasks would be shocked to see how far these kinds of skills have deteriorated through the years.
 
"The younger generation are less ‘handy' than those who are a bit older, possibly because many of them haven't yet lived away from home or still rely on their parents. It's probably more likely that they'll be teaching their parents how to use an iPod than ask them how to change a plug.
 
"They might not be overly interested in learning ‘DIY dad skills', but surely it's better that they're prepared for things that might go wrong around the home that are quite simple to put right. Asking somebody to help you change a lightbulb must surely be quite embarrassing."
 
But experienced DIY-ers can come a cropper too. AA home insurance claims data reveals that household accidental damage claims tend to rise slightly in August when compared with June and September.

For more information about AA's Home Emergency Response, visit theaa.com.