54% of Britons say they are capable of DIY, but men are more likely to do it themselves
With a brand new year, some Britons will have made resolutions to finally make a start on their list of necessary home improvements. While some will prefer to seek professional help, others are happy to give things a go themselves. But how capable are Britons at DIY?
Most Britons (54%) feel they are generally capable at DIYing, though this includes only 9% of the public who describe themselves as “very” capable. Men are more likely to see themselves as capable, with 62% of men saying they are generally DIY-competent, compared to 47% of women.
Younger Britons are less likely to say they are capable at DIY, with 46% of 18-24 year olds describing themselves as such, compared to 57% of 50-64 year olds and 54% of those aged 65 and over.
Which types of DIY do Britons actually do themselves?
But while many Britons may see themselves as generally capable of DIY, it doesn’t necessarily follow that they do all types of DIY themselves.
Of the tasks polled, most likely to actually be ‘done yourself’ is building self-assembly furniture, which two-thirds of Britons (65%) say they would generally do themselves. Painting and decorating, bleeding a radiator or wiring a plug are also typically ‘DIY’-ed, with around half of the public (50-52%) saying they would undertake such tasks personally if required.
It is when it comes to fixing a running toilet or woodwork that Britons tend to require professional help, with just 27% of the public doing either task themselves, compared to around four in ten (37-40%) calling in an expert. Tiling a wall is seemingly even more difficult, with only one in five Britons (20%) prepared to do it themselves, leaving most (54%) to call in a tradesperson.
There is, though, a middle ground of getting help from friends or family. Across the types of DIY polled, between 11-24% of Britons say such tasks would be taken on by their partner, while for another 10-18% it would be other friends and family wielding the tools.
Which Britons do it themselves?
Not all Britons, though, are as willing to ‘DIY’, with a clear gender gap remaining in who does it themselves, particularly among cohabiting couples. When it comes to putting up shelves, for instance, three-quarters of men living with a partner (77%) would generally do it themselves, compared to just one in eight cohabiting women (13%).
Among those who do not live with a partner, the gender gap is still apparent, with 59% of non-cohabiting men typically putting up shelves themselves, relative to 32% of women in the same situation.
Instead, for women living with a partner, it is their other halves who tend to do the DIY. For instance, 69% of cohabiting women say their partner would typically put up shelves if it needs doing, compared to 6% of cohabiting men who say the same.
Painting and decorating is something of an exception among men, with 19% of men living with their partner saying their significant other would usually do it, relative to 2-8% among the other types of DIY polled. Indeed, this is the sole DIY task we polled where cohabiting women are more likely to say they do it themselves (44%) than say their partner would do it (35%).
Younger Britons are also less likely to do DIY themselves, although in many cases this will simply reflect the fact that they still live at home with their parents (who may not entrust their youngsters to make amendments to the home).
However, one notable difference is the number of young people who see bleeding a radiator as something that would require a professional. Just one in seven 18-24 year olds (14%) say they would bleed a radiator themselves, while a third (33%) would hire a professional to do it, relative to 7% among over 50 age groups.
This suggests bleeding a radiator is becoming a lost art among young people to such an extent that don’t even realise it is a task that can be simply done by an amateur.
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Photo: Getty
