Results: Young people watch TV with subtitles more than older viewers, survey says

The survey, conducted in May by the language learning platform Preply, asked 1,265 Americans across generations about their entertainment viewing habits. It found that members of Gen Z — which are often defined as those born between 1997 and 2012 — were much more likely to be frequent subtitle users (70%) compared to older viewers. Do you typically watch TV or movies with subtitles on?

The most common reasons for having subtitles were that the audio is muddled (72%) or the accent is difficult to understand (61%). Another 29% said they prefer to watch content at home quietly with subtitles on so as not to disturb roommates or family. Roughly 27% said they rely on subtitles to stay focused on what they're watching while juggling the distractions of multiple screens, children, pets, work, and more. Nearly one in five (18%) said they use subtitles to help learn a new language. If you watch with subtitles , why?

More than three-quarters (78%) said they have difficulty hearing dialogue due to loud background music in films and TV shows, and 55% of respondents agreed that it's become harder to hear dialogue than it used to be. Do you think dialogue is getting harder to hear?

Overall, 43% of respondents said they watch content on public transit, 42% do so at work and 37% confirmed they even watch videos while walking or driving somewhere. Do you watch content in any of these places?