Britons' love affair with DIY is waning¹, research suggests.

一项调查显示，英国人对自己动手搞家装的兴趣正在逐渐减退。

Britons' love affair with DIY is waning, research suggests. While Bank Holidays were traditionally a time when people looked to get on with home improvements, a study indicates that people would rather employ someone else to do the work.

While Bank Holidays were traditionally a time when people looked to get on with home improvements（家居装饰） , a study indicates that people would rather employ someone else to do the work.

Analysts² found that two million of us have abandoned DIY over the past two years.

The slump³ in interest has been partly caused by declining skills among young people and the rise in popularity of ready-to-assemble flat-pack furniture.

However, it is not just the younger generation who are turning their backs on domestic（国内的，家庭的） manual chores. The report, by market analysts Mintel, found that the number of people aged⁴ from 45 to 54 who occupy their time with DIY has halved⁵ in two years from 30 percent to just 15 percent.

The study found that people increasingly prefer to spend the money on travel and relaxation⁶ rather than slaving away（埋头苦干） at tasks around the house.

Neil Mason, a Mintel spokesman, said: "DIY retailers⁸ have been losing share of all retail⁷ sales because of the ageing population being less inclined to do DIY, the growth of a do-it-for-me market, and a change in attitudes to the home.

"There has been a perceptible（可察觉的，可感知的） shift in consumer priorities away from the home and towards leisure – particularly holidays and fashion."