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- More than half of people say they watch TV with captions.
- Adults under the age of 45 are more likely to use subtitles.
- 50% of people say they use subtitles to catch every word.
Do you watch TV with closed captions even if you don’t need them? You are not alone.
A new study It turns out that more than a third of people – 34% – always or often have subtitles on when they watch TV. Another 23% say they sometimes use subtitles, meaning more than half the population watches TV with captions enabled.
Although this is a surprising number, the most interesting thing is that if you break down a certain generation this number increases significantly – but it is not what you think.
Too: Can’t hear TV dialogue? I found 3 ways to dramatically improve audio quality
Adults under 45 are more likely to use captions than those over 45. Considering only the 18-44 demographic, 40% of people almost always have subtitles on, and 27% do so sometimes. That leaves only 33% of people in that age group who say they never use captions. By the way, I’m barely involved in this demo, and I’m completely on Team Caption.
In the 45 and older category, 28% always use captions and 18% sometimes, compared to 46% who only do so and 53% who never do.
Why are people using closed captions?
Since it’s not out of medical necessity, what is motivating people to use captions? The study revealed several reasons:
- 50% turn on subtitles only because they want to make sure they catch every word.
- 40% enable them to understand pronunciation or watch movies and shows in another language.
- 30% use them because they are in noisy environments.
- 25% of people cite poor audio quality as the reason for using captions.
- 25% have captions because they are multitasking.
- 13% of people have a hearing problem that requires captions.
For most people, it seems like they are using captions just to make sure they understand what is being said. If you find yourself in a group that has difficulty hearing dialogue, there are a few things that can help.
Too: Are smart glasses with built-in hearing aids viable? My verdict after months of testing
At first, changing just a few TV settings can make a big difference. Additionally, some streaming services like Prime Video have a special Dialogue Boost setting, and many new TVs have their own dialogue enhancement modes.
The study was conducted online and via phone in August 2025 with 1,182 adults.
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