DIY and manual skills are dying out, study claims

Nearly half of respondents seek help from parents

Millennials are ditching DIY in favour of DDI – Dad’ll Do It, a study has suggested.

Research claimed tasks as small as putting up a shelf or replacing a doorknob regularly send the younger generation into a panic.

And that is resulting in many of them picking up the phone and asking family members to turn up at the door with a toolbox.

While nearly half of respondents often seek help from their father, only one in five would choose a professional to assist them.

A poll of 2,000 adults aged 23-38 found a plethora of manual skills are dying out and the idea of plastering a wall, painting a fence or replacing a socket was beyond almost all of them.

The majority only do DIY a “few times a year” and one in 10 millenials have never picked up a screwdriver, hammer or paintbrush.

Of those polled, three in 10 admitted they never attempt to change a lightbulb while only one-quarter of respondents have hung wallpaper.

Despite this, half of millennials think it is still important to be knowledgeable about DIY.

Difficulty in getting on the housing ladder is undoubtedly part of the problem – a generation of young renters has been denied the chance to learn vital home improvement skills.

The research found four in 10 believe it’s only worth learning DIY skills once they have moved out of their parent’s home.

The same number would turn to the internet and YouTube for help.

With so much help on offer today, 70 percent believe there was more pressure on previous generations to be skilled in DIY.

The study, conducted via OnePoll by Ronseal, found less than half have put up curtains or blinds.

Despite – or perhaps due to – the lack of practical skills among this group, 80 per cent believe basic DIY skills should be taught throughout education to equip younger generations for the future.

SWNS