Do You Really Value Your Hearing?

According to a 1,000-person survey conducted by Healthy Hearing, Americans say they value their hearing only second to their eyesight, but they don’t actually act like it. According to the survey, 84.4 percent of Americans value their sight the most of their senses, while hearing ranked 68 percent. From these numbers, it would seem that Americans truly understand the importance of their hearing in everyday life. 

If the perceived importance of hearing were to be measured based on the answers to questions regarding basic safety precautions, on the other hand, the conclusion would be quite different.

The most revealing data surfaced when survey participants were asked questions about which self-protective precautions they would take in two different scenarios – a do-it-yourself home improvement project and an outdoor concert.

Given eight options of protective gear – including goggles, earplugs, hardhat, knee pads, work boots, gloves and respirator – only 37.6 percent of the demographically-diverse participants would be most likely to wear ear protection while working on their home. Compared to the 70 percent who would wear goggles (in line with the priority placed on eyesight), this differs drastically from our supposed value of our sense of hearing.

The survey results for the outdoor concert scenario tell the same story. Given that they would be seated close to the stage in sunny conditions, participants were asked how likely they would be to wear sunglasses, sunscreen or earplugs. More than eight out of 10 said they’d wear sunglasses, three out of four would wear sunscreen, but only one-third would be likely to wear earplugs.

Needless to say, there is a major discrepancy between how well we think we value one of our most important senses versus what we do to protect it from permanent damage. This extends to those who already suffer some measure of hearing loss. For instance, one survey question asked the participants if they have difficulty hearing conversation. Out of 21 percent who said “yes,” only five percent answered the follow-up question of ‘do you wear a hearing aid?’ positively. 

Hearing is often termed the invisible disability because it’s difficult to spot unless someone is wearing a hearing aid. The stigma, difficulty and expense of hearing aids is still a hurtle for many people, but the consequences of untreated hearing loss are far greater — including permanent hearing damage, social isolation, depression and even cognitive decline.

As leaders in the field, hearing health professionals should continue to educate the public about the important role of hearing in all stages of life and urge them to undergo regular screenings and treatment. As more people become aware of the importance of hearing to one’s overall health, the more these surveys will start to reflect consistency between opinion and practice.