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:
| 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.
Those are all jobs for peasants. Anyone who has a college education with a useful degree (such as liberal arts, or political) doesn’t need to sink down to the sub human level.
…and they use to say it took two Pollacks to change a light bulb..one to hold the bulb and the other to spin the person around to remove it.
I can do and have done all of these…multiple times. And I taught my children to do them all as well…
These unskilled losers are liberal snowflakes. Useless humans.
1 in 5 adults are abject morons…which aptly describes the state of the US
They are also the same dummies that embrace Muslims, not hard to figure out they can’t screw in a light bulb.
Yeah but they all have a degree in some useless Liberal, SJW cause.
Those inept imbeciles are commonly called Labour voters.
Apparently, age does not an adult make.
Change a tire? I’ve changed my engine!
I changed my mind
Refuse welfare/socialized entitlements to everyone. They will find a way to make do.
Liberalism is a disease. That causes terminal stupidity.
This is why Democrats push so hard for us to be like Briton and Europe. This is a breakdown of the perfect Democrat voter, aka…Pajama Boy
Well, I mean, come on, when you cant spell TIRE correctly, how effective can a human being be ?
Oh the spelling Poleezee is alive.
Get back to me when i’m submitting my class BOOK REPORT teacher.
Otherwise get a life and stuff it.
I agree. Spelling Nazis lack facts and logic in discussions, so they revert to name calling or become grammar police
How many can boil water?
So many stupid people, so little time.
People are stupid thats just the way it is, Dont be stupid and deny the reality, You can go off to college and get a degree but your still big dumb motherf#cker to me~ People are stupid, by Steel Panther.
Can they walk and chew gum at the same time?
Ummm…NO.
What idiots, I knew how to change a lightbulb since i was 19…never had to use a manual.