In a worldwide report with over 12,000 respondents which has been released, UK adults have been found to be the worst culprits when it comes to looking after their hearing with 47% having never had a hearing test, against a global average of 31%.
The research was commissioned by MED-EL to mark World Hearing Day and highlight the importance of looking after our own hearing as well as the hearing of family and friends.
This comes after the survey also found that six in ten Brits know someone who could be suffering from hearing loss issues.
Despite a clear lack of care for ear health, many people deal with the consequences of poor hearing on a day-to-day basis.
People regularly ask others to repeat themselves (35%), another fifth (19%) have their TV/radio volume left on high and almost one in ten (12%) use subtitles and audio-description.
In spite of this, almost half of Brits (47%) do not believe their hearing check-ups to be a priority – the highest throughout the world.
Frustration at communication difficulties came out on top as the biggest concern for those in the UK – along with the rest of the world – with 42% saying that would be their biggest worry.
Social isolation and personal safety risks were also big concerns for 17% and 16% respectively.
Bad hearing has also led to many awkward moments for many. Being often considered a Brits favourite pastime, almost half (44%) have had to apologise for not being able to hear someone. Over a third (37%) just smile and nod along to avoid any embarrassment.
What were found to be the favourite sounds for Brits included the classic morning song of birds chirping (40%), music (20%) and the sound of a river running (20%) while construction (48%), car horns (39%) and car alarms (38) were the least favourite.
For World Hearing Day, MED-EL is encouraging people to get their hearing checked as well as those around them and seek advice on daily behaviours that can lead to long-term problems and impair hearing ability.
Patrick D’Haese at MED-EL says: “Our research reveals that Brits need to start taking action when it comes to hearing health.
Hearing loss has a huge impact on daily life and we firmly believe that people shouldn’t just have to cope with or accept it.
We think nothing of getting keeping up with dentist appointments, so we encourage people to think the same way about getting their hearing checked regularly so any issues can be detected in a timely way and solutions can be explored.
We also encourage friends and family to look out for the nearest and dearest if they suspect they’re struggling with hearing loss.”
For more information visit: https://www.medel.com/en-gb/