Do-it-yourself home maintenance skills could be “extinct” as early as 2048 because of the technology boom, a study suggests.

The study of 2,000 adults in the UK from September to December 2010 by AA Home Emergency Response found modern men prefer tapping away on computers and playing with technological gadgets to using power tools.

AA spokesman Tom Stringer said: “When we look at skills and knowledge, the 21st century man is keener to show his manliness through his ability to grasp technology than a power tool.

“We have known for some time that DIY and home maintenance skills are on the wane and that if people aren’t learning skills from their fathers, this will only get worse.”

The study’s authors say 71 per cent of men learned DIY and home maintenance skills from their fathers during the 1970s. By 1990 this fell to 67 per cent and today it is just 44 per cent.

Men aged 65 and over are said to be most likely to describe themselves as “handy”, while those under 25 are least likely to say they are adept at home repairs.

Mr Stringer said: “By 2030 just one in five men will receive basic DIY knowledge from their father.

“If the trend continues, home maintenance skills could be on the road to ‘extinction’ by as early as 2048, resulting in a nation of ‘no can do’ homeowners.”