Do you watch everything with subtitles, even if you understand the language that's being spoken? If so, you're among a growing group of people who prefer to watch TV with the subtitles on. Watching TV with subtitles is especially common among young people in the United States, according to recent a YouGov survey. The survey found that 63% of adults under the age of 30 watch TV with subtitles on. The number is much lower for older generations though, with 29% of 45- to 64-year-olds saying they prefer to watch TV with subtitles on, and 30% of people over the age of 65 saying the same.
Some believe that watching TV with subtitles makes it easier to understand and follow what's happening, while others believe that subtitles can be distracting.
According to the YouGov survey, the most common reasons people use subtitles are enhanced comprehension and help with understanding accents. Other common reasons for using subtitles include being in a loud environment and having hearing difficulties.
For those who don't watch TV with subtitles, using subtitles can be distracting or feels unnecessary, the survey revealed.
While watching TV with subtitles is relatively commonplace for Gen Z and younger millennials, some social media users were surprised to find out that people would choose to use subtitles when watching something in a language that they understand.
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"I don't get it at all," one person wrote on X. "Fellow millennials why on Earth do you use captions?"
But many insisted that it's hard to catch everything that's being said — which is why watching with subtitles makes sense to them.
"You can't hear speech anymore!" one person wrote on X. "It's just mumbled talking and then BAM the music comes on at full volume. Its incredibly annoying."
"I like to make sure I know every dialogue spoken," another person explained on the platform. "I hate having to back to connect dots because I missed a few words in a scene 30 minutes past."
Another X user confirmed the findings: "I swear sometimes I can barely hear the dialogue so I love using subtitles."
