October 2nd, 2023, Clifton Mark
The American appetite for DIY is strong. According to data from YouGov Profiles, 56% of Americans plan on doing some kind of home improvement project in the next three months. This rises to 69% when we only consider homeowners. What improvements will they be making? How will they complete the project? And where are they shopping for supplies?
The most common upcoming home improvements are painting interior and exterior walls (18% and 9%), laying new carpet or flooring (10%) and repairing or cleaning the gutters (8%). Fewer plan to undertake bigger jobs, such as renovating a part of the building (4%), building an extension (4%) and fixing or installing a roof (5%).
There are also some significant differences about where these home improvements will take place. Consumers residing in rural areas are more likely to work on any home improvement project in the coming three months (63%), and city-dwellers the least (51%).
However, some types of projects are more popular in some areas than others. While city-dwellers are the least likely to engage in home improvement overall, they are more likely than those who live in other areas to repair or install siding (8%) and remodel their kitchens (9%).
Those who live in towns are far more likely to install or repair masonry (16%) than those in rural areas (6%) or suburbs (3%). Suburbanites are more than twice as likely (9%) as any other group to build an extension.
Americans also differ on how they prefer to complete their projects. About a third (31%) say they do whatever they can on their own but ask for professional help when necessary while another 16% say they prefer to complete the projects solo whenever possible.
There are also significant differences in DIY behaviour between genders. Men (18%) are far more likely than women (9%) to have a professional do most of the job but remain somewhat involved. On the other hand, women are four times more likely (12%) to do projects with friends and family to improve their homes. Women are also much more likely than men (16% vs. 7%) to never do home improvement projects.
While most Americans (81%) have not shopped for DIY products in the past year, those who did prefer some retailers more than others. Among those who’ve bought DIY products in the past 12 months, half shopped at Home Depot (51%), Amazon (50%) and Lowe’s (44%). About half as many Americans (24%) shopped at Ace Hardware, the next most popular DIY retailer.
More than half of Americans plan on embarking on some home improvement project in the coming months. Whether painting the walls or building new ones, they will need supplies and, in most cases, professional help.
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Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data for USA is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.