Say what? A surprising survey found that younger adults are more likely to use TV subtitles than older generations. The YouGov poll found that, overall, 53% of Americans prefer to have the subtitles off when watching a show in a language they know, while 38% like to have the subtitles on. However, 63% of adults under the age of 30 prefer watching TV with the subtitles on – far more than other generations. 37% of 30-to 44-year-olds polled said they like using subtitles, 29% of 45- to 64-year-olds prefer the feature, and 30% of people 65 and older said they use TV subtitles. For those who prefer having subtitles on, 40% say it enhances their comprehension, 40% say it helps them understand accents, and 33% say it’s because they are watching in noisy environments.
For those who never use subtitles, the top reasons are because they find them distracting (50%), unnecessary (44%), and they clutter the screen (38%).