YOUNG men are avoiding DIY — as they are worried about breaking a fingernail, a survey says. More than a third of millennials do not even know how to change a light bulb, the poll found. They are now routinely calling out professionals for simple household jobs such as bleeding a radiator. The survey of […]
YOUNG men are avoiding DIY — as they are worried about breaking a fingernail, a survey says.
More than a third of millennials do not even know how to change a light bulb, the poll found.
They are now routinely calling out professionals for simple household jobs such as bleeding a radiator.
The survey of 18 to 24-year-olds found 34 per cent had never attempted any DIY in their life.
Some 22 per cent of young men avoided it because they feared damaging fingernails, compared with just 18 per cent of women.
Another 21 per cent would call a decorator rather than paint their own walls.
Meanwhile, 14 per cent said they got someone in to hang their pictures while ten per cent would pay them to put up shelves.
However 16 per cent said they then lie to their friends and claim they had done the job themselves.
Nationwide nearly a quarter — 22 per cent — would rather call in a professional than risk making a mess.
The survey found that young people in Blackpool and Cambridge are the least likely to do DIY — with 46 per cent never trying it.
However millennials in Newcastle were most likely to get stuck in, with 73 per cent saying they would have a go.
In Manchester, 70 per cent mucked in, just ahead of dwellers in London, with 69 per cent.
The Ideal Home Show asked 2,000 UK adults aged 18 to 24 how much DIY they did at home.
Ideal Home Show spokesman Justin Levett said: “It appears the younger generation are lacking basic DIY skills — bleeding a radiator is a relatively simple task and is something that shouldn’t require professional help.
“But while it’s surprising to see that more than a third have never attempted DIY, the same number also admit to hiring someone to do the job when they could have easily done it themselves.”
He urged youngsters to try it, adding: “As well as a sense of achievement, learning basic DIY skills can help save money.”
