Not using hearing protection? Learn what you’re risking

by Halimat Olunlade, Social Media Manager

Photo credit: Wendy Wei

Every three years, the British Irish Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association conducts a survey on hearing aid usage in the U.K. This year, the results from the 2025 EuroTrak survey shine a harsh light on the disconnect between awareness and proactive care when it comes to hearing health.

Eurotrak is the world’s largest comparative multi-country hearing study, offering insight into how the smallest behaviors can greatly impact our health and quality of life. The study surveyed people with self-declared hearing loss, finding that nearly 70% of people with hearing loss never use hearing protection, revealing a widespread lack of awareness and action despite the risks everyday life poses to our hearing. According to the study, this disconnect is widening over time, with hearing aid adoption dropping 2% to 50.5% in 2025, a surprisingly low number given our impressively noisy world.  Surprisingly, the U.K. still ranks third out of 10 countries surveyed for hearing aid adoption, outperforming much of the European Union and the rest of the world.

Over half of the hearing-impaired population opted not to wear hearing instruments. The study found that the other half who did were happier and used their devices more often. Average time spent wearing a device rose over 10%, with people using their hearing aids up to nine hours per day, and 98% reporting an improved quality of life as a result. This data suggests that despite the clear evidence that hearing aids and other equipment benefit the lives of those with hearing loss, lack of education and social stigma continues to discourage people from seeking treatment.

Paul Surridge, chairman of BIHIMA, summarized this the report.

“The 2025 EuroTrak data tells a powerful story: hearing technology is changing lives, but we still face a major public health challenge in encouraging people to seek help earlier,” Surridge said.

With such a deep misalignment between the data and our behavior, it’s clear that our declining hearing health is more than a personal problem — it’s a public health issue. The challenge lies in bridging the gap between the overwhelming evidence of the benefits of hearing instruments and the persistent barriers of stigma and lack of education.

One shining example of progress is the National Health Service, which provides 69% of hearing aids free of charge, ensuring accessibility for millions of individuals. The NHS not only equips people with the tools they need but remains a vital partner in raising awareness around hearing loss.

Closing the hearing health gap will take more than accessibility alone. Tackling the social stigma around hearing aids and protection is the critical next step. This means creating a society informed and empowered to protect itself from harmful noise through measures like prioritizing quiet in the home, in schools and in the workplace. It also means adding signage encouraging people to wear hearing protection and warning against the dangers of noise exposure; employers offering hearing health checkups and high-quality PPE in loud workplaces; and venues making ear protection readily available for sports fans and concertgoers.

Some cities are already leading the way, like Seattle’s proposed earplug law. Most importantly, we need to keep listening — not just to scientists and healthcare professionals warning us about the dangers of harmful noise, but to our own ears. They’re telling us what they need: quiet.