Brits admit to clinging onto unfair stereotypes of tradespeople

New research from Checkatrade reveals that almost two-thirds (63%) of Brits are clinging to damaging misconceptions about the nation’s trades. Overall, 44% confess to believing that ‘cowboys’ are commonplace while more than one in ten (14%) openly admit they’ve stereotyped tradespeople based purely on their profession.

The top negative misconceptions about trades are that they’re too expensive (28%), unreliable (23%) and that they’re rip-off merchants (19%) while one in ten (11%) used the term ‘unskilled’ to describe them, alongside uneducated (6%).

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Popular tradespeople-related Google searches also support these findings

• “Why are tradesmen so unreliable”
• “Why are tradesmen so expensive”
• “Why are tradesmen so rude”
• “Why are tradesmen always late”
• “Why are tradespeople usually so unprofessional”

However, there seems to be a stark gap between perceptions and the reality of experience. More than a quarter (29%) of Brits have called upon tradespeople over the last six months and 85% admitted that they had a positive experience – with 13% even claiming their expectations had been exceeded. Checkatrade’s own data also shows that only 2% of trades have a workmanship score of less than 9/10 – the same can be said for reliability, timekeeping and tidiness.

Assumption Percentage

Top negative misconceptions	Assumption	Percentage
1	Too expensive	28%
2	Unreliable	23%
3	Rip off merchants	19%
4	Cowboys	17%
5	Untrustworthy	16%
6	Unprofessional	15%
7	Untidy	14%
8	Never show up	14%
9	Always late	13%
10	Pushy	13%

As a result, Checkatrade has launched a campaign that asks the nation to readdress their negative stereotypes and reappraise the contribution of tradespeople in our communities.

Entitled #RespectYourTrades, the campaign video shares the honest reactions of its vetted and recommended members to the research findings as well as common ‘mean tweets’ about tradespeople. It’s clear from their responses that prejudice is rife and has an unfair and damaging effect on the industry.

Julian Perryman and Chris Frediani, Britain’s best-known builder and plasterer are both backing the Checkatrade campaign:

“Like all walks of life, there’s no getting around the fact that there are a few bad apples out there, but that’s why it’s so important to stick to reputable, vetted tradespeople. Our industry has been plagued by prejudices for decades but the trades we come across every day are incredibly hard-working, skilled and committed to doing a good job. With so many currently in people’s homes doing great repair and renovation work, now feels like a good time to ask people to reassess their value.”

Mike Fairman, CEO of Checkatrade, commented:

“Our members livelihoods depend on their great reputations. Over the last few months, they’ve been building new hospitals, keeping communities connected, offering keyworker discounts and are now helping people up and down the country with their home improvements and repairs, so it’s sad to hear so many are still struggling to shake off stereotypes.

Each and every one of our members has been through 12 background checks and have proudly signed up to uphold our standards of honesty, transparency and professionalism. We hope that our campaign prompts people to have confidence in the expertise good tradespeople offer, to better understand the variable nature of their work, to recognise the pride our members take in making spaces safe, secure and smile-inducing and to give them the respect that they deserve.”

To view Checkatrade’s #RespectYourTrades campaign video and find out more about the vital work tradespeople have been doing, visit here.