LONDON — Are you handy enough that if a lightbulb went out in your home you’d be able to change it? Believe it or not, one in five people aren’t so skilled. In fact, a new survey of people in the United Kingdom finds not only do about 20 percent of people not know how to change a bulb — the same number aren’t sure how to boil an egg, either.
The British insurance company Aviva recently released their annual Home Report which detailed, among numerous findings about how people do work around the house, relatively common tasks that people encounter. The company surveyed 2004 people across the UK in February and March about their habits and roles at home.
In addition to just one in five not being able to change a lightbulb or boil an egg, the survey found that nearly a third of the participants couldn’t cook any meal on the fly. And if someone were to spill a portion of their meal on their clothes or on the floor, only 59 percent would know how to get rid of the resulting stain.
Only 37 percent could change a flat tire.
The findings were even surprising to the folks behind the study.
“As a nation we tend to take pride in our ability to do things ourselves in and around the home, so it’s a surprise to see there could be a skills gap in places,” says Aviva Propositions Director Adam Beckett in a press release. “That said, we also know that people lead busy lives, so while we enjoy doing things ourselves, we also appreciate the opportunity to leave things to a professional from time to time, particularly with some of the more challenging jobs.”
Interestingly, while 50 percent of those surveyed said they learned how to do a home task on their by trial and error, plenty of people are turning to the internet for help, especially millennials. The study found four in 10 people aged 25 and under prefer learning do-it-yourself chores online. That’s more than twice the number in the age group who turn to an actual book for help.
Here’s a look at the polled tasks and the number of people who indicated they could successfully complete them:
| Â Task | Percentage who feel confident doing this task |
| Boil an egg | 81% |
| Change a light bulb | 79% |
| Cook a complete meal without using a recipe | 69% |
| Read a map | 66% |
| Sew on a button | 65% |
| Unblock a sink | 62% |
| Remove a stain from a carpet or clothing | 59% |
| Change a baby’s nappy | 57% |
| Wire a plug | 57% |
| ‘Bleed’ a radiator | 53% |
| Check oil levels in a car | 53% |
| Put up a shelf | 47% |
| Put up wallpaper | 39% |
| Change a flat tire | 37% |
| Change a washer on a tap | 30% |
| Fit tiles | 22% |
Click here to read the entire report, which broke down the findings by age groups and revealed many other interesting results.
Mechanical ineptitude seems to carry over into politics, judging by who’s elected. They don’t have a clue how to fix anything either.
What percentage of ‘researchers’ can properly conduct a survey?
Not this group
I didn’t know that 20% of the world was blond?
what it shows is laziness, that’s all!
Willful ignorance
I was right then! Most people are dumb as a rock. Politicians depend on it.
They prefer unarmed dumbed down peasants
I seriously doubt that as much as 39% can competently put up wallpaper. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Civilization does not hang in the balance if very few people are skilled paper-hangers.
Seriously, snowflake? Until a decade ago, every college student knew how to put up wallpaper. Paper, say hello to scissors and glue.
You obviously do not know what “competently” means.
OK, I can perform all the above, except hang wall paper. We don’t use it much anymore. I could, if Adolf were still amongst the living, hang a wallpaperer.
High Schools and colleges need to have a mandatory “Life Skills” class. We learned these skills as children because we had chores, baby sitting, yard mowing to make our money. We also learned to fix things rather than buying a new one.
See, this demonstrates the necessity of Participation trophies. And also why Polish families always come with 5 members.
Question; How many — insert ethnicity, nationality, gender, hair color — does it take to change a lightbulb? Answer; Three. One to hold the bulb and two to rotate the ladder.
Consider the fact that 50 percent of the population has an IQ less than 100 and this is not surprising.
Grew up with a school Janitor named Jimbo with down syndrome and a sub 70 IQ- he could do all that stuff and more
Umong Arabs and Africans, 50% have IQs less than 85
And the 20% who can’t change a light bulb or boil an egg probably are the ones who have advanced degrees from the most prestigious universities.
Limeys are known to be total morons.
Liberals are the ignorant ones who demand the rest of us become ignorant just like them.
I call total BS. Now do a study to find out how many people could google those things and learn how to do it on their own.
I’m 57 years old, and no one sat down and taught me those things. I learned most of those things over my teenage/adult life by have a need and learning how to do it. My mother never invited me to sit and watch her cook, I just knew she did it. Just like laundry. But most people can read a box and read the instructions printed on a washer and dryer.
In my 57 years, I’ve learned how to lay flooring, run electrical wire, do plumbing, pour concrete, and have no started building my own furniture. And no one taught me how to do any of it.
So before one starts to whine about people not being able to do things, see if they can figure it out on their own when needed.
As Einstein supposedly said when he had to look up his own phone number, one doesn’t need to know everything if one can look it up.
I can stand on one leg while changing a light bulb and cooking an egg while checking my oil and unclogging my sink.
Keep pumping aluminum and mercury into people and you will dumb down everyone. Clean up vaccines and the products we use. Or is that the plan?
Its the plan. That’s why aluminum oxide is in the “Chemtrails”
Shop class in middle school, Tada all fixed !