Do Louisiana Residents Have a Hearing Problem?

SHREVEPORT, LA - This has been a hot topic around the office today. You are either in this camp or not.

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But it seems Americans might have a hearing problem. According to a recent poll on Preply, more than half of all Americans use the closed captioning feature on their TV most of the time. I don't get it. Is everyone struggling with hearing? That text on the screen drives me crazy. And it's not something just older folks use.

Do Younger Folks Use Closed Captioning?

It's actually worse with younger folks. People between the ages of 18-25 (the Gen Z crowd) use it a bunch. These guys say they use it 70% of the time.

It seems to be a hearing problem. Talker Research says the average American asks “What did you say?” more than 1,000 times a year. times in a year, according to new research, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Audien Hearing. This data shows half of Americans fear they are losing their hearing.

Now I grew up with a Mom who was deaf in one ear, so we always had to sit next to her "good ear". She would have the TV volume up pretty loud. But it was never unbearable.

This survey from Preply also looked at the social impact hearing loss can have. The data shows 35% of feel left out of a conversation because they can't hear everything being said.

But Isolation Is an Even Bigger Problem

Nearly 20% of Americans say they will completely avoid a social situation because of hearing struggles. And that number is even higher for the younger crowd. 23% of Gen Z folks say they will choose to stay home to avoid social settings where hearing could be an issue. Only about 10% of baby boomers are concerned about that.

Is Hearing Loss a Problem?

Just over 15% of the folks surveyed say they have been medically diagnosed with a hearing problem. But about 20% say they are worried they have lost part of their hearing.

And they attribute the hearing loss to age, loud noises in their daily life, loud music or the use of headphones.