Why Americans Still Believe They Can Fix Anything

The sentiment runs deep, as 29% of households identify most with the mantra, "We can totally fix this." This heritage of repair is often passed down from parents; 47% of people credit their fathers for their hands-on skills, even if those same fathers are prone to turning a ten-minute job into an all-day project. Beyond utility, the habit is sentimental. Over 80% of respondents admit to hoarding broken items with the intent to repair them, and 76% believe that working on these projects has strengthened their familial bonds.

Duct tape remains the primary tool for this DIY tradition. With 93% of Americans purchasing it in the last two years, it outranks both packing and painter’s tape in popularity. Half of all users favor it as their go-to solution, and one in five confess that a supposedly temporary patch eventually became a permanent fixture. While Gen X and Baby Boomers currently hold the title for the "handiest" generation, the landscape is shifting. Roughly 19% of families now cite YouTube tutorials as their primary problem-solving method, signaling that while the tradition of fixing things is evolving, the American reluctance to replace the old with the new remains firmly intact.