Do you prefer to watch TV with the subtitles on?

Polls

17th November 2021

NEW research by captioning charity Stagetext has suggested that young people are four times more likely to watch TV with the subtitles on than older viewers.

Stagetext, which provides captions for live and online events like theatre performances and talks, found that four out of five viewers aged 18-25 said they use subtitles all or part of the time.

Less than a quarter of those aged between 56 and 75 said they watched shows with subtitles, despite being almost twice as likely to say they are deaf or hard of hearing.

Stagetext’s chief executive Melanie Sharpe told the BBC that she thinks “there’s far more acceptance of subtitles by young people.”

Don’t forget to tell us why you prefer, or don’t prefer subtitles in the comments!


Do you prefer to watch TV with the subtitles on?

30 Comments

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ojpolls · 2 years ago

I tend to watch tv without subtitles as I can see the screen and can hear the sound perfectly.

emi1234567 · 2 years ago

I prefer without because it just bothers me. Sometimes the words are not in time with the video and it is really annoying

stingray1 · 2 years ago

I prefer watching without subtitles because they don't always keep up with the programme.

charlieee7 · 2 years ago

Subtitles get in the way. If the show is in another language or you have difficulty with hearing, I understand why you may use subtitles, but I just find them a distraction most of the time.

puddingfan · 2 years ago

I prefer to watch it without because it is really hard to read the writing while looking at what is going on behind it.

ivansp2011 · 2 years ago

I prefer to watch TV with subtitles because I can understand what the person is saying if it is a different language or if their voice is to muffled/quiet to hear

katkid10 · 2 years ago

I like subtitles because sometimes the shows can be really quiet. Although, the subtitles are often wrong or really slow to load.

lolokaro · 2 years ago

I think that watching the TV with subtitles is better because sometimes the actor’s accent may not me clear or you may not hear the words properly. However I also think that sometimes subtitles can get in the way of what you watching so really it depends but I often watch with subtitles

puzzlepeas · 2 years ago

I don't usually watch TV with subtitles, but I know that when someone comes round with affected hearing I know that it's best to have them on.

pollardian · 2 years ago

Some TV shows and films are very mumbly and hard to understand so subtitles help a lot. Also, my brother has an ear problem so he always watches TV with subtitles.

mouseman00 · 2 years ago

I personally find subtitles distracting when I’m trying to watch television but I understand why others like having subtitles as it helps them understand what they are watching.

weirdcat · 2 years ago

If I'm watching something on demand I like it, but when I'm watching something live the subtitles are are behind a lot, and for example when I'm watching strictly and they're showing their scores, it's still showing the judges comments!! I really hope there's a way to fix this, (at least on some TVs) as deaf people could never watch anything live!!

adikinzaal · 2 years ago

I learn the spelling of words I don't know

adikinzaal · 2 years ago

If the sounds not working its good

adikinzaal · 2 years ago

If someone doesn't like it loud put it on

adikinzaal · 2 years ago

Although I don't like subtitles on its own I like the sound of peoples voices or its very monotonous

kinza · 2 years ago

Subtitles are the best. Just in case you cannot hear what people are saying on the television, you can always put them on then you can see what they are saying instead of hear. That's why I voted for subtitles are the best when watching the TV! Also, if your watching a movie or something like that, and you don't know the language of it, and you might want it like that, you can always put English subtitles on. That's another reason why they're the best ever thing, when watching television (or as I call it TV. Lots of other people call it that too. Its short for television.) That's my top two reasons why I think subtitles are the best ever for the TV/television. Thank you for listening.

scarlet10 · 2 years ago

i can't concentrate if i've got subtitles

marthajja · 2 years ago

O find subtitles really annoying so I don't prefer to as they get in the way of the action but at school we sometimes do and our remote has a choice to have subtitles on and off.

marthajja · 2 years ago

No I find subtitles really annoying they get in the way of the action but sometimes at school we have the subtitles on and our remote has a choice to have the subtitles on or off.

unicorncho · 2 years ago

I watch tv with subtitles so I can understand what the characters are saying more clearly.

mrcoolbean · 2 years ago

I only do it if i am streaming the program on YouTube or BBC iPlayer or Amazon prime coz then they actually keep up.

puzzlepeas · 2 years ago

I don't because it sort of distracts me

mistyiscat · 2 years ago

i love subtitles because theu help me and my family understand what the people are saying because sometimes they talk quietly

roseninja · 2 years ago

I watch with subs. My dad hates it. LOL

emi1234567 · 2 years ago

I watch tv without the subtitles because I find that it blocked the screen and it is just a bit annoying

titityler · 2 years ago

I prefer watching without the subtitles because it is boring not seeing the whole screen

snoopy15 · 2 years ago

I prefer to watch without subtitles, because they distracts me from what I am watching.

spartapus · 2 years ago

I don’t know 🤔 I think yes coz u can understand it more

edwin2022 · 2 years ago

I prefer to watch TV with subtitles on because sometimes I do not understand what the character/person is saying.