ARE PEOPLE LOSING THEIR DIY CONFIDENCE?
A recent survey commissioned by home improvement and repair service, Local Heroes, has revealed that fewer than half of the nation feel confident enough to undertake DIY projects around the home. The new study, which explored the opinions of 2,000 UK adults, revealed that only 41% feel positive about tackling DIY themselves, preferring to engage a local tradesperson to fix trickier jobs such as electrical problems, as opposed to reaching for the tools themselves.
Exploring DIY confidence by generation, the study discovered that the least confident age group around DIY activities are 18-24-year olds, with 44% stating they feel apprehensive about undertaking home projects. In contrast, the most DIY confident generation has been identified as 45-54-year olds, with 46% stating they feel positive about fixing different issues around the home, specifically tiling (41%) and drainage problems (34%). However overall the survey revealed that 64% of UK consumers would hire a tradesperson to resolve tiling issues.
The consumer-focused study also uncovered the confidence of Brits across the country, revealing residents in areas of London, the South West and the South East (37%) feel the least courageous in attempting job fixes around the home. North West England leads as the most DIY confident UK region, with 47% stating they feel hopeful about repairing home complications, although even they prefer to leave plastering (83%) and electrical problems (81%) to the experts.
With three in four residents completing at least one DIY job in the last 12 months, the levels of DIY confidence vary across different home-related problems. Brits are evidently hopeful about spicing up their home décor by themselves, with 79% stating they prefer to do their own painting and decorating rather than hiring a tradesperson. However, UK consumers prefer to leave electrical problems to the experts, with 83% highlighting it as the most challenging house dilemma. From replacing the fuse box to installing a socket, Brits would rather prevent an electrical DIY bodge job and draft in an electrician to tackle it.
When it comes to sourcing the perfect tradesperson, the survey discovered that a major proportion of UK consumers – 81% – prefer to engage a local tradesperson over a national company, highlighting local experts as more trustworthy and providing a higher quality of work. 69% of UK adults prefer to use recommendations from friends and family when sourcing a tradesperson and a substantial 46% research online.
Mat Moakes, head of Local Heroes, says: “This research highlights that UK consumers need the reassurance of a trusted tradesperson for the more difficult jobs that need doing in their homes. We have over 7,000 vetted tradespeople signed up to Local Heroes, and we vet each one to make sure they’re up to the job. We even offer a 12-month guarantee on all work done, to give customers complete peace of mind.”
Meanwhile another recent survey has revealed that tradesmen are among the worst for not doing enough to relieve work stresses. According to this survey of 1,015 UK adults in employment carried out by learning marketplace, Obby.co.uk, 51% of UK trade workers say that they do ‘little or nothing’ to reduce stress levels outside work, with lack of free time being the biggest obstacle for 72%.
With the average British worker working a 40.2-hour week – and not including time spent thinking about work – not having the time to decompress from the daily grind could be damaging the nation’s workforce.
Tom Batting, co-founder at Obby.co.uk says: “It’s extremely worrying how many workers within the trades sectors claim they do not prioritise getting the stress relief that is so important for maintaining their mental health. The irony is that this can actually become a vicious cycle – if we don’t make time for stress relief, this can lead to becoming more stressed or even burnout, both of which can reduce productivity further.”