A survey shows millennials are missing out on practical skills such as map reading or fishing, compared to their grandparents’ generation.
More than half of young adults were unable to tie a single knot and 40 per cent had never swum in open water, despite Britain being an island nation.
The poll, conducted ahead of the London Boat Show, found simple life skills have been left behind with advances in technology.
Researchers also found that most people under the age of 44 prefer to use Google Maps and Sat Navs to get around, but half of over-55s stick to a paper street map.
Just a third of the 2,000 surveyed know how to spark a flame by natural means, with less than a third having caught their own fish or seafood.
Those born before 1950 were also three times more likely to be able to tie a sheepshank knot compared with those born in the 1990s. And the survey also revealed that 44 per cent have never actually been camping.
A London Boat Show spokeswoman said: “Despite the rise of TV shows such as I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and Bear Grylls: Born Survivor, young people lack basic survival skills such as building a fire or catching food.”
Mostly, aside from the skills required, it's a mindset. How much of our current technology is based on communications? Now, suppose for whatever reason either short term or, long term, you no longer have access to communications of any kind. Not having a knowledge of the basics of survival would turn any city into a death camp because, our entire infrastructure depends on communications. Your phone, computer and, energy needs are helpless without it. The basics don't guarantee survival, they just increase your chances plus, they're fun.I don't get why knowing how to fish, hunt or tie knots is relevant, the fish in the lake will never be enough for a city if there is rationing due to war, so you're going hungry anyway after the first few days, there's no point in planning around that.
In the US it's a bit different because you have wilderness areas so you could indeed survive like that, but in Europe anything that looks non-urban will actually be farms and stuff or be inhospitable or too small to survive, and stealing chickens doesn't take much skills.
Also a total doomsday situation is so unlikely that it's a much better investment to learn the modern skills that allow you to survive the automation era.
The more likely situations are world and/or civil wars, which case it's much easier to move to a more stable country, and you just need money to get in and stay put for a while, if you can't immigrate legally that is (which is pretty easy if you're rich). Even if you stay in a war zone, with money you can still afford the higher food prices.
Personally:
- I have camped.
- I know how to read a map and stay safe in the sea and rivers.
What is more useful is teaching basic farm stuff, as if there is food rationing and massive unemployment gardening or keeping chickens can be worthwhile, plus inner city kids may not know where food comes from and knowing it would help making more sound dietary decisions.
- I know enough family phone numbers.
You can end up in a current or get sucked in by strong waves or fall off a boat, a pool swimmer may panic or underestimate the risk in the first place.I'm not sure what swimming in 'open water' has to do with a lack of life skills. To me that doesn't read as 'cant swim' but more 'hasn't gone swimming in the ocean.'
Also - preferring google maps over a paper map doesn't mean you can't read one. I can read one but still prefer google maps because it reroutes me based on traffic, construction etc and I don't have to try and find a map for every country\state I visit
You can end up in a current or get sucked in by strong waves or fall off a boat, a pool swimmer may panic or underestimate the risk in the first place.
A paper map from 1950 will probably get you where you need to go, even if it's not the most optimal route.(Not a Millennial)
Couldn't one create a slightly different poll with bias and try to use the results to chastise those >55?
For example, "Only x% of those over 55 use Google Maps. Instead they prefer to use a paper map. The problem here is the paper map has likely has not have been updated in the last few years to account for all of the growth that has occurred across the area over the past several years."
I've tied a sheepshank, but it's not so important. What is important is to know a handful of knots that aren't simply stacked granny knots.It's not important. When is the last time you tied sheepshank knot? I've never.
I've tied a sheepshank, but it's not so important. What is important is to know a handful of knots that aren't simply stacked granny knots.
I'd have lost thousands of dollars over the years if all I knew was a granny knot.I survived just using granny knots.