Most Americans feel confident tackling common life tasks—from cleaning a wound to calculating a tip—but fewer are sure they could fix a car engine or read a weather map, a new Pew Research Center survey finds.

The survey asked Americans how confident they were in their ability to complete 12 different tasks, from everyday household chores to more technical challenges.

Methodology:

Pew Research Center ran this survey to see how confident Americans feel about doing certain practical tasks. The survey included 5,085 adults in the U.S. and was conducted from April 28 to May 4, 2025.

Everyone who took part is part of the Center’s American Trends Panel, a group of people chosen through a random national sample of home addresses. This method ensures that nearly all U.S. adults have a chance t

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