50% of UK gig-goers at risk of hearing loss, hear ringing noises, research finds
Slightly less than half of the people polled actually knew what tinnitus was
50% of UK gig-attendees are at risk of hearing loss, according to new research.
The worrying figure has emerged from a study carried out by ticket resale platform TicketSwap, in collaboration with the UK Hearing Conservation Association and Kultlab, for its #dontmissabeat campaign, which also found that slightly less than half of the people polled actually knew what tinnitus was.
The research was undertaken in February 2023, and additionally found that 50% of UK gig-goers hear ringing noises and only one in ten wear earplugs to protect their ears.
"As sound levels at gigs and festivals can reach over 100dB, even short gigs have the potential to cause irreversible harm such as deafness, tinnitus, oversensitivity to noise added to increased risks for early onset dementia and cognitive impairment," said Clare Forshaw, Founder and Director at the UK Hearing Convention Association.
The #dontmissabeat campaign has been set up in the hope of trying to change behaviours regarding hearing protection among music fans. You can check out the full study here.
The research follows a similar study from last year, which found that over one billion young people are at risk of hearing loss due to "unsafe listening practices".
