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    21% of US adults 'always' watch TV with subtitles on [OC]
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    21% of US adults ‘always’ watch TV with subtitles on [OC]

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    27 Comments

    2. stateworkishardwork on

      I think i watch it for everything that isn’t live

      So exceptions would be like Sports.

    3. PKblaze on

      Ya got me. TBF I never used to but after watching foreign language shows and movies in addition to my GF usually having them on, I got used to them.

    4. Cagy_Cephalopod on

      Why have the breakdown by gender if both are identical to the overall data? If you want to argue that those differences are meaningful, give the margin of error of the poll.

    6. GFurball on

      My boyfriend does it, found it weird at first, but honestly makes shows easier to understand sometimes lmao

    7. mikakikamagika on

      my whole family uses them. we’re neurodivergent and can’t process audio for shit. when there’s no options for subtitles it really reduces the experience.

      accessibility is for everyone!

    8. kristospherein on

      I do. I like to be on my phone look up, and double check what was said, thar and I have a short attention…squirrel.

    9. atypical_lemur on

      Well if I could understand 1/2 the dialogue then I could leave them off.

    10. BigThunder3000 on

      We turned subtitles on 18 years ago with our first baby and never turned them off.

    11. Takeasmoke on

      i watch english shows with english subtitles all the time for 2 reasons 1) i usually watch when others sleep so i can’t crank up sound and i don’t like headphones and 2) i am not native english speaker so it kind of stayed with me from the days i used subtitles to learn/practice
      i am completely capable to watch movie/show without subtitles but it is just more comfortable to have them on screen even when i take off my glasses and i can’t read crap on the TV

    12. cubosh on

      i am the increasingly rare minority who staunchly refuses to put on subtitles because i think reading siphons all of the immersion from cinemtography

    13. haakonrg on

      I usually watch with subtitles, especially in english speaking movies (I’m norwegian) because SO OFTEN, even in top-budget films, the actors mumble so much I can’t make out what they’re saying.

    14. TheVagrantmind on

      I am hearing impaired, and I have been since I was 13. Dynamic range made the issue worse, and subtitle tech has gotten better and less visibly noticeable, trust me. Now it has gotten my ten year old son into various foreign films and crazy weird action films due to his ability to read quickly.

      That stated, if the subtitles are idle banter from sport commentators or other drivel while I am trying to watch dunks, touchdowns, or more importantly, was that guy two inches offsides, I could care less if the manager is “on his way out of things don’t turn around.”

      I remember seeing a commentator free version of some sporting event that just had arena sounds once… it was wonderful… and even then I wouldn’t be bothered with subtitles saying “Cheers”, “Boos”, or “Murmuring“(during injury).

    15. maringue on

      I think the reason for this is how movies and even TV shows are sound edited. An explosion or background music? Yeah, triple the volume on that. But people talking and advancing the plot? Drop that volume down to 10% so that when someone turns it up to actually hear the dialog, they’re deafened by the volume of the explosions and background music.

    16. isthatayeti on

      This is honestly just due to most people not having decent audio equipment or anything other than tv speakers at all. TVS have shitty audio . Most sound bars have shitty audio. Getting a small AVR and some entry level speakers will absolutely change your listening experience and if you have the money for something better , then better audio equipment is worth it.

      My wife went from 100% subs to 0 .

    17. _Jimmy_Rustler on

      It’s the sound production in shows nowadays. The music and sound effects are at 10 and the dialogue is at like 3.

      Put on any TV show from 20 years ago and then put on a new show. You will absolutely hear a difference.

    18. rockytrh on

      My wife always watched TV with the subtitles on. I rarely did, only if I need the volume to be down for whatever reason. Once we got married, we compromised and always have the subtitles on 😀

    19. Royal_Crush on

      My guess is that in Europe this number is much higher, because everyone watches things in their second and third languages

    22. SignificantLock1037 on

      If I wanted to read, I’d grab my book (currently, Following the Equator by Mark Twain). I want to watch TV, not miss half the scene because I’m reading.

    23. Shadeun on

      Got used to them. Read some study about them being great for kids learning to read. Made them default for the family.

      Meh.

    24. Apprehensive_Fig7588 on

      If the dialogue is well spoken, I don’t use it. But if there’re a lot of accents and slang terms, I have to use it otherwise I can’t follow.

      English is not my first language.

    25. ckanderson on

      If it’s a TV show, I don’t mind subtitles, but if it’s a film then I don’t like subtitles, especially if I’m watching it for the cinematography.

    26. Nytshaed on

      It’s especially useful because the sound mixing in so much stuff is way out of wack for at home watching. I feel like I’m often either unable to hear dialogue clearly or going to get a noise complaint during action scenes.

    27. Lucky-Substance23 on

      In our household we turn on subtitles for almost all our watching, mainly because the dialogue is often very hard to understand (mumbling, strange words, talking over each other, etc).

      To the point that when we go to watch a movie in a theater, we are often disappointed when we can’t have them. Maybe one day theaters will offer AR glasses that project them onto the screen.