Of the whole public, three in ten typically have the subtitles on
Data drawn from YouGov Profiles of more than 35,000 Britons shows that 30% say they generally prefer to have the subtitles on when watching TV shows or movies.
In fact, the youngest generation are now more likely to watch TV shows or movies with the subtitles on, with 53% of 18-24 year olds saying so, while 25-34 year olds are tied 46% on to 48% off.
Even among the oldest age group – those aged 75 or over – only 31% of people say they typically have the subtitles on, with 55-64 year olds the least likely to do so overall (20%).
But why are so many people watching with subtitles? To dig deeper into public perceptions in this area, we used our new YouGov AI Interviewer tool to ask respondents: “Following on from our question about using subtitles when watching TV, can you tell us more about why you generally use them?”
The AI agent then conducted interviews with each respondent, following up on their responses, in order to provide ‘the why’ behind what Britons think. Our qualitative analysis of attitudes, including quotes, can be found below, along with examples of respondent interviews in their entirety.
Dialogue hard to hear
Many habitual subtitle users say dialogue is simply hard to make out. They tend to put this down to how modern TV is made, citing poor sound mixing, loud music and a more naturalistic, mumbled style of acting, rather than to any problem with their own hearing.
- “because i often struggle to hear quieter dialogue or understand what’s happening when multiple sounds overlap, so keeping the subtitles on is like safety barriers almost, ensuring i know what i should be hearing” (Woman, 18-24)
- “I feel like I can hear the words better when I use them, sometimes the TV is already very loud and I still can’t hear, so it’s better just to read.” (Woman, 18-24)
- “I use them because I find it difficult to hear what is being said sometimes” (Woman, 18-24)
- “I use them because I find the characters speak in low mumbly voices and the dramatic music can be loud so I miss things” (Woman, 35-44)
- “actors mumble on TV nowadays. i can watch old programmes without subtitles, but modern programmes involve too much realist acting.” (Woman, 55+)
- “I use them because I have an old TV and the dialogue can be indistinct. I also think modern films tend not to mix dialogue to be easier to hear. Christopher Nolan is well known for this.” (Man, 55+)
- “Because I can understand dialogue..if production companies improved sound quality I would not need to use them” (Woman, 55+)
- “I started when I couldn’t hear something on a programme, I decided it helped me understand it and I have kept subtitles on ever since” (Man, 35-44)
- “Because the sound mixing today is awful on most shows and movies” (Man, 35-44)
- “It means that if the sound mixing or speech becomes unclear, I have the backup ready to go.” (Man, 25-34)
Not wanting to miss anything / following the plot
Many see subtitles as a safeguard against missing a crucial line or plot point. Having the words on screen means they can follow what’s happening without having to rewind or guess at what was said.
- “without subtitles, i feel like i miss important information and misunderstand the plot line and story, i would rather understand the movie completely without missing any details” (Woman, 18-24)
- “It means I don’t miss anything and have a full understanding of what’s going on without having to rewind” (Man, 18-24)
- “Just means I might miss what they’re saying, I may need to rewind or make assumptions.” (Woman, 18-24, describing watching without subtitles)
- “I don’t feel I’m missing something , I KNOW THAT I AM MISSING SOMETHING , namely important segments of the dialogue.” (Man, 55+)
- “It means I actually understand what’s happening in the show. Important plot points are often explained in dialogue, sometimes in a single word or sentence. Without subtitles I would miss parts of the plot, and probably be less engaged.” (Woman, 35-44)
- “I also feel like it’s worth mentioning, that some TV it’s like super imperative that you catch every word. If you mis-hear something it can cause a plot hole, so it’s safer to have subs on to make sure you really get what’s happening” (Woman, 25-34)
- “It saves interrupting my viewing, in any case the beginning of a film or episode frequently includes dialogue which is essential to an understanding of the plot.” (Man, 55+)
- “I always use subtitles so that I don’t miss anything” (Woman, 35-44)
- “It helps me follow the plot if I am watching a film or series. If I am watching a quiz show, it helps me answer the questions easier.” (Woman, 55+)
- “I can follow plotlines now where I couldn’t before.” (Woman, 55+)
Habit / left on by default
For many, subtitles have simply become the norm. They were often switched on for a practical reason and never turned off, and some now say they feel strange watching without them, even when they don’t strictly need them.
- “I turn them on by default all the time” (Woman, 18-24)
- “They’ve always been available in shows and games as a child and the habit persisted” (Man, 18-24)
- “I just like to read and I’ve become reliant on them” (Woman, 18-24)
- “No, like I said I like subtitles on because I can hear the words better with them. I keep them on all the time even if I think I won’t need them.” (Woman, 18-24)
- “It’s become a habit for me to have them on. I feel strange without them!” (Woman, 25-34)
- “I supposes it’s a bit strange that I prefer having subtitles, as I don’t have hearing difficulties and can have a good experience watching tv without them. It’s more of a habit that a need” (Woman, 45-54)
- “Because I can’t predict which programmes/films will cause hearing difficulties, setting subtitles to on is my default setting” (Woman, 55+)
- “It’s more effort to turn off and on and im used to them being on now” (Woman, 25-34)
- “So, living here and watching British tv with the subtitles helped me to understand better, especially due to the great amount of different accents, whether british or American, which made me difficult to understand, occasionally. So with the subtitles, it made it much easier. Now, I’m so used to them, that it is hard to watch tv without them, even in my native language” (Woman, 45-54)
- “I seem to be able to ignore them ...... I suppose have trained myself to do so. Wasn’t easy at first but got used to doing it.” (Man, 55+)
Accents
Some find unfamiliar accents hard to follow, whether American or regional British ones such as Liverpool, Scottish and Irish. Subtitles help them understand dialogue they would otherwise struggle to decipher.
- “Whilst watching American shows like breaking bad as they have strong accents” (Man, 18-24)
- “Yes, if I’m not familiar with the accents then I can’t fully understand every word which means understanding the plot is much harder” (Woman, 18-24)
- “Foreign accents, northern Irish, Liverpool, up north generally” (Woman, 55+)
- “American slang, fir example, Scottish accent, Liverpool accent...they’re all hard fir me to understand, when I read the words, it makes sense” (Woman, 45-54)
- “Some Indian accents and northern accents and Irish accents” (Woman, 55+)
- “Some times the accent is slurred and sometimes the dialect when they use unfamiliar words.” (Man, 55+)
- “Because of the accents and with sitcoms, not to miss a joke” (Woman, 55+)
- “Actors being trained to speak more “naturalistically” and the number of programmes featuring regional and American accents.” (Man, 55+)
- “I can only repeat that with some American accents and some regional accents it’s hard to decipher quickly what is being said” (Man, 55+)
- “Spoken english can be tricky for a not native speaking. And there are some accents that I can’t understand.” (Woman, 45-54)
Background or household noise
Some say noise from children, pets, kitchen appliances or passing traffic drowns out what’s on screen, as can background sound within the programme itself. Subtitles let them keep up regardless.
- “I’m a quick reader so I don’t lose any of the visual aspects of the television, also it’s easier to just read than to try block out background noise in my head” (Woman, 18-24)
- “when multiple people are talking over each other, when there is background noise in the show, or when the room i’m watching tv in is loud” (Woman, 18-24)
- “Audio and dialogue is much harder to catch in games with background noise scenes music etc. Subtitles help catch these things outside of clear cutscenes” (Man, 18-24)
- “Likely poor hearing, or I’m eating when watching TV and can’t hear over the crunching. I have always lived in flats or house shares and don’t want to disturb neighbours with loud TV.” (Woman, 25-34)
- “Dogs barking, children making noise etc.” (Man, 35-44)
- “I don’t like the tv on very loud. Sometimes, the background noises in my house (such the kids, dishwasher etc...) cause that i don’t quite hear the tv, hence the subtitles” (Woman, 45-54)
- “We are an elderly couple with reasonably good hearing but struggle with background noise and poor speech. Our TV seems to know that we like subtitles and we generally don’t need to ask for them now.” (Woman, 55+)
- “If there are other distractions in the room, for example people talking or putting on the kettle or washing machine.” (Woman, 55+)
- “People talking or traffic going past my house” (Man, 25-34)
- “Background music , actors talking too quickly or too low. or maybe noisy traffic passing my house.” (Man, 55+)
Hearing difficulty
Some have hearing loss, tinnitus or wear hearing aids, and describe subtitles as a necessity rather than a preference. Even when they can hear reasonably well, they keep them on because it’s easier than switching them on and off.
- “Because I’m Hard of Hearing? I always need captions” (Woman, 25-34)
- “My poor hearing and even if I can hear I still like them on as it’s easier than turning them on and off.” (Woman, 55+)
- “I have severe Tinnitus so need to use them” (Woman, 55+)
- “I cannot hear all speech sounds even with hearing aids so they help me follow programmes especially those with disembodied speech” (Woman, 45-54)
- “Because even though I wear hearing aids I still use them as sometimes I miss certain words so instead of rewinding it back all the time to hear it, I use the subtitles aswell.” (Woman, 25-34)
- “Sorry -answered the wrong question. I use subtitles as Im going deaf. They are very useful” (Woman, 55+)
- “My hearing is bad sometimes, and it’s easier than straining” (Woman, 25-34)
- “I can follow the plot. I have on top of hearing issues cognitive problems understanding speech. But I can read” (Man, 55+)
- “I wear hearing aids so subtitles help and it means I don’t have to raise the TV volume as much - although my wife is not hearing impaired, she will request that the subtitles are on a lot of the time” (Man, 55+)
- “I have hearing impairment and find some voices difficult to hear eg American accents or when male speaker lower their voices for effect.” (Woman, 55+)
Other reasons
A few gave other reasons for keeping subtitles on. These include keeping the volume down to avoid disturbing neighbours or sleeping children, and needing extra help to take in dialogue because of ADHD, autism or auditory processing difficulties. Others mention characters who talk too quickly, wanting to follow a programme while doing something else, such as looking at their phone or knitting, or living with someone who needs or wants subtitles on, such as a hard-of-hearing partner.
- “I use subtitles so I can keep the volume low on the TV.” (Man, 35-44)
- “I started using them when we had a baby either to not disturb them when sleeping or to be able to read the subtitles when they were noisy. I got into the habit” (Woman, 45-54)
- “I have ADHD and It’s helpful to have them there just incase” (Woman, 18-24)
- “Because I dont process what people are saying reading it is better” (Woman, 35-44)
- “If it’s in a different language, or a dialect of English I don’t understand, or if they are speaking too fast.” (Woman, 18-24)
- “If the actors speak fast or inaudibly, I might miss that part of the movie and I wont understand the movie fully” (Man, 45-54)
- “I normally have subtitles on regardless, it means I can do other things whilst watching the film and it makes my processing faster I think” (Woman, 18-24)
- “It keeps me paying attention if I read subtitles otherwise I start looking at my phone” (Man, 35-44)
- “I don’t need them, but my wife prefers to have them on - so we have them on, lol” (Man, 35-44)
- “My husband is hard of hearing, subtitles help him enjoy shows we watch so he doesn’t miss what is said, I use them out of habit” (Woman, 35-44)
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