Table 1. Demographics and Self-reported Hearing Characteristics of US Adults.
| Characteristic | No. (SE), millions | % (SE) |
|---|---|---|
| Sex | ||
| Male | 115.5 (1.5) | 48.2 (0.4) |
| Female | 124.1 (1.6) | 51.8 (0.4) |
| Hearing without hearing aid | ||
| Excellent | 120.9 (1.5) | 50.5 (0.4) |
| Good | 78.4 (1.2) | 32.7 (0.4) |
| A little trouble | 25.3 (0.7) | 10.5 (0.3) |
| Moderate trouble | 9.3 (0.4) | 3.9 (0.1) |
| A lot of trouble | 5.1 (0.2) | 2.1 (0.1) |
| Deaf | 0.7 (0.1) | 0.3 (<0.1) |
| Problem with background noise | ||
| Always | 13.0 (0.4) | 5.4 (0.2) |
| Usually | 16.0 (0.6) | 6.7 (0.2) |
| About half the time | 21.3 (0.6) | 8.9 (0.2) |
| Seldom | 51.4 (1.1) | 21.5 (0.4) |
| Never | 137.6 (1.6) | 57.5 (0.5) |
| Last saw clinician about hearing problems | ||
| Never | 147.4 (1.8) | 62.1 (0.4) |
| In the past year | 24.9 (0.6) | 10.5 (0.2) |
| 1-2 Years ago | 14.3 (0.5) | 6.0 (0.2) |
| 3-4 Years ago | 9.6 (0.3) | 4.1 (0.1) |
| 5-9 Years ago | 11.1 (0.4) | 4.7 (0.2) |
| 10-14 Years ago | 9.1 (0.4) | 3.8 (0.2) |
| 15 or More years ago | 21.0 (0.5) | 8.8 (0.2) |
| Last time hearing tested | ||
| Never | 117.4 (1.6) | 49.7 (0.5) |
| In the past year | 19.5 (0.5) | 8.3 (0.2) |
| 1-2 Years ago | 14.2 (0.5) | 6.0 (0.2) |
| 3-4 Years ago | 10.6 (0.4) | 4.5 (0.2) |
| 5-9 Years ago | 18.6 (0.6) | 7.9 (0.2) |
| 10-14 Years ago | 15.1 (0.5) | 6.4 (0.2) |
| 15 or More years ago | 40.8 (0.8) | 17.3 (0.3) |
| Functional hearing in quiet room | ||
| Can hear whisper | 193.8 (2.1) | 82.1 (0.3) |
| Can hear normal voice | 31.6 (0.7) | 13.4 (0.3) |
| Can hear shouting voice | 8.0 (0.3) | 3.4 (0.1) |
| Can hear speaking loudly into good ear | 1.5 (0.1) | 0.6 (0.1) |
| Cannot hear speaking loudly into good ear | 1.3 (0.1) | 0.5 (<0.1) |
Abbreviation: SE, standard error.