More than a quarter of young adults – 24% – are looking to YouTube videos for DIY inspiration and guidance, according to the research by Towergate Insurance, and people are 25% more likely to consult a video tutorial than a qualified friend or family member.
But the research has revealed that young adults are paying the price for relying on YouTube for DIY advice. Of the under 24s who have turned to YouTube for guidance, one in five have admitted having to call in an expert to fix a disaster – at a cost of £5,000, double the national average in the UK.
London topped the list of the most costly DIY disasters, at an average of £6,079 to fix, followed by the West Midlands at £5,592 and East Anglia at £3,312. Scotland came in lowest at £230.
Drew Wotherspoon, at Towergate Insurance, said: “With the emergence of YouTube as a key educational resource, it’s understandable that people are naturally turning to video tutorials for guidance on DIY work. However, as our research shows, undertaking ambitious projects with little to no formal training can have serious repercussions financially.”