Women tended to use subtitles slightly more often than men. Want to weigh in on this survey? Answer it here on CivicScience's dedicated polling site.

Data source: CivicScience InsightStore
Visualization tool: Infogram

Posted by CivicScienceInsights

32 comments

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

    So exceptions would be like Sports.

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

  7. 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.

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

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

  10. 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

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

  12. 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.

  13. 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).

  14. 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.

  15. 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 .

  16. 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.

  17. 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 😀

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

  21. 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.

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

    Meh.

  23. 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.

  24. 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.

  25. 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.

  26. 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.

  27. I just wish there was an option for English subtitles without closed captions more often. I just need the dialogue I can hear everything else.

  28. I’d be curious to know what level of reading comprehension each demographic is in.

  29. First of all, streaming players should have a button that backs up 15 seconds and enables subtitles for 30 seconds. – an “I missed that line” button.

    Secondly, while we’re talking about the user interface, let’s admit that shows are no longer being “filmed”, and enable more metadata channels. The primary metadata channels we have already are subtitles in various languages. Other metadata that might be overlaid on a video includes:

    – character names

    – current location (watch game of thrones with a little map in the corner showing where the show is right now)

    – the show’s time and date might be relevant / useful for some also

  30. “Always” is getting it’s fucking back broken right now doing some heavy lifting for this.

    What’re the numbers for “usually”?

  31. Every show is like two dudes in an igloo whispering followed by Krakatoa erupting.

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