NEW YORK—A new study, timed to mark May 21 World Accessibility Day, finds that captions are now an important part of mainstream viewing, particularly among younger views and in the U.S.
The survey data also indicates that advertisers and content providers who fail to caption their content are missing large audiences who are watching more video with captions than ever before.
The study, released to mark today’s World Accessibility Day, was conducted by XR (Extreme Reach) in partnership with MX8 Labs. The survey of more than 3,000 people across the U.S., U.K., France, Spain, and Germany, found that captions have become a mainstream viewing behavior in every market.
But by nearly every measure with the U.S. emerging as the caption-heavy audience. Eighty-seven percent of Americans say they use captions at least sometimes, while nearly half say they use them always or often when watching video.
Among U.S. Audiences, 87% use captions at least sometimes, 49% use them often or always, 21% always have them on, and just 13% never have them on.
“Captions started as an important accessibility feature for audiences with hearing impairments, but they’ve evolved into something much bigger,” said Graham McKenna, CMO of XR Extreme Reach. “Captions are now part of how we watch movies, streaming series, social content, and advertising. For many of us, captions have become as important as the picture and sound, helping people follow dialogue and stay connected to the story.”
“Always or Often” caption use by country:
- 49% US
- 47% Spain
- 46% France
- 23% Germany (Among German caption users, 75% identify non-native language content as their single most important reason for using captions.)
XR’s research also debunks the idea that captions are mainly for older or hearing-impaired audiences. Nearly 60% of 18–24-year-olds say they use captions always or often, compared to just 27% of viewers over 65. Caption viewing is being driven by a generation raised on TikTok, Instagram, and short-form video, where captions aren’t optional, they’re expected.
- 59% - 18–24-year-olds / always or often use captions
- 64% - 25-34-year-olds / always or often use captions
- 47% - 45–54-year-olds / always or often use captions
- 38% - 55–64-year-olds / always or often use captions
- 27% - 65+ / always or often use captions
The top reasons people use captions cuts across all age groups and goes far beyond accessibility. Viewers say they turn on captions to better understand dialogue and accents, deal with unclear audio or noisy rooms, or simply because they like watching video that way. Surprisingly, 42% of U.S. viewers prefer to watch video with captions even when the audio is perfect:
- 44% - understand dialogue better
- 43% - catch details they might otherwise miss
- 36% - improve attention to the screen
- 21% - multi-task when watching
Smart TVs remain the most popular device for watching video with captions, with 86 percent of viewers across all markets using them to watch at home. Smartphones follow at 46%, with laptops at 36%, tablets at 24 percent, and gaming consoles at 15%. Yet caption usage remains remarkably consistent across every screen and content genre.
Younger audiences aren’t just using captions more than anyone else, they’re also paying more attention to ads because of them. 61 percent of 25-34-year-olds say captions and subtitles make them more likely to pay attention to ads, the highest lift of any age group and the exact audience most brand advertisers are trying to reach.
- 45% - 18–24-year-olds /increased attention
- 61% - 25-34-year-olds /increased attention
- 20% - 55–64-year-olds /increased attention
- 14% - 65+ year olds /increased attention
- U.S. Advertiser Still Lag with Caption Adoption
“For brands, agencies, and ad creative leaders, captions are no longer something that can be treated as an afterthought,” said McKenna. “Whether it’s designing video ads for readability, accounting for on-screen text, or making sure key moments still land with captions on, marketers need to start building creative for the way audiences actually watch today.”
More information about the report is available here at this link .
