By comparison, 83% have had an annual physical.
Further, few adults take steps to protect their hearing from exposure to loud, prolonged noises.
Additionally, most rarely or never protect their hearing when using loud machinery or power tools.
As expected, the percentage of adults who describe their hearing as excellent declines with age.
When its time to address a hearing loss, several incentives were notable.
A key barrier to addressing a hearing loss is the cost, including lack of insurance coverage.
Ease of use and cost were cited as the most important features for hearing aids.
Survey results examining possible stigma may suggest opportunity to address some of these issues.
Difficulty hearing is not associated with getting old, the survey found.
More than half of adults disagree that having difficulty hearing would be akin to admitting they are getting old.
And people are not uncomfortable talking about or wearing hearing aids.
Most of the responses to the repeated survey questions were the same or similar in 2023 compared to 2015.
There were several notable differences, however.
The questionnaire took an average of 20.8 minutes.
The data are weighted according to the 2022 March Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS).
For more information, hey contact Laura Mehegan atlmehegan@aarp.org.
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Adults 65-plus are at greatest risk.
