Attitudes and Experiences of Hearing Tests

MORI carried out two national surveys commissioned by The Royal National Institute for Deaf People, RNID, in April and May 1998, the results of which reveal the low priority the public places on taking action about hearing loss. The polls also uncovered the negative perceptions held about hearing aids.

In the April survey, 19% of people answered "yes" to a question asking whether they ever experienced problems with their hearing, such as having difficulty following what people said or hearing the television clearly.

Some results of the survey were as follows:

• Although medical research has shown that nearly half (48%) of people aged 55+ have a hearing loss, the April survey found that only one-third of people over 19% reported having hearing problems.
• Only 22% of people aged 55+ have had a hearing test in the last 10 years, compared with 87% of people in this group who have had eye tests. Although 84% of people surveyed knew how to get a hearing test (by asking their GP to refer them), they still don't get their hearing tested as a matter of course.
• Of people aged 55+ who said they had hearing problems, only six in ten had sought professional advice.
• 31% who reported having experienced hearing problems for 10 years or more said they had done nothing about it.
• Of those people who consulted their GP about hearing problems, only around two-thirds went on to be referred for a hearing assessment. Of those where a referral was offered, around one in ten either decided not to go for the test or turned down the opportunity of having a hearing aid.
• 3% of people interviewed for the survey have hearing aids. Medical research has indicated that about 10% of adults would;d benefit from a hearing aid.
• The survey shed some light on why people who could benefit from wearing a hearing aid are failing to raise the issue with their GP.
• 65% of people who had not sought advice despite recognising that they had a hearing loss said that the problem did not bother them enough to consult a doctor about it. Another reason 18% of people gave was that they thought their problem was not serious and that nothing would be done about it. Less than 1% said it was because they were concerned about wearing a hearing aid.
• But when the whole survey group were asked why in general they thought people failed to get their hearing tested, 51% thought the reason was a reluctance to wear a hearing aid. Of the the whole survey, 56% of respondents said that if they needed a hearing aid they would care as much or more about how it looked as about how much it improved their hearing.
• The research showed that people have major misconceptions about hearing loss and the potential benefits that come from wearing hearing aids. The view that their problem was not serious enough to warrant an aid is not borne out by medical research which demonstrates that the earlier people are fitted with hearing aids the easier they will find them.
• When the survey group were asked for the two or three reasons people with hearing problems failed to organise a test:
• 51% said that they think they might be told that they need to wear a hearing aid and don't want to wear one.
• 43% thought that the hearing problem did not bother people enough.
• 22% said that they think they will be told their hearing problem is not very serious.
• 21% said that they do not think anything can be done about their hearing problem.
• 20% said that they did not want to waste anyone's time.
• The general survey population have a realistic view of the effects of deafness. Most thought that the worst thing about going deaf would be "not hearing what people say to you".
• When people were questioned about the sounds they would miss the most, people's voices came top the of the list (73%), followed by music (52%), television (31%) and household sounds (28%). Not surprisingly, music was more important to younger people, and household sounds were more important to older people.

Technical details

Between 24-27 April 1998, MORI interviewed a representative quota sample of 2,017 adults aged 15+ in 164 sampling points throughout Great Britain. Between 21-24 May 1998, MORI then interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,917 adults aged 15+ in 155 sampling points throughout Great Britain. All data are weighted