First published 19 June 2018
12.2% of the people in Germany say that they have a hearing loss. Among adults aged 18+, 14.1% say they have a hearing loss, according to the survey EuroTrak Germany 2018.
The EuroTrak Germany 2018 survey on hearing loss and the use of hearing aids in Germany shows that one in eight Germans think they have hearing loss. Among adult Germans, one in seven say they have a hearing loss.
The number of people saying they have hearing loss in Germany has been relatively stable since the first EuroTrak Germany survey was made in 2009. Surveys have also been made in 2012 and 2015. In the surveys, 12-13% of Germans say they think they have a hearing loss. The number of people saying that they have a hearing loss also corresponds more or less to the results of similar surveys conducted in other European countries and in the United States in later years.
36.9% of those who say that they have a hearing loss use hearing aids, meaning an increase of 16% since the first EuroTrak Germany survey in 2009, where 31.8% of those with a hearing loss used hearing aids. 71% of the hearing aid users in the German survey use hearing aids in both ears.
Hearing aids improve quality of life
Almost all of those in the survey who used hearing aids (97%) said that their hearing aids improve their quality of life in some way. 95% of the hearing aid users in work also stated that their aids are useful in the workplace.
60% of all the hearing aid owners in the survey said that they should have gotten their hearing aids sooner. The main reasons for this were missing out on social life and better mental/emotional health.
Reimbursement
More than 50% of people with hearing loss who did not use hearing aids did not know whether a third party would pay for them. This despite the fact that more than 90% of hearing aid owners received some kind of 3rd party reimbursement.
Hearing tests
In the survey, 45% had a hearing test in the last 5 years with most tests carried out by ENTs. 31% had never had a hearing test.
About the survey
The EuroTrak Germany 2018 was designed and carried out by the Swiss analysis firm Anovum on behalf of the European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (EHIMA). The survey consisted of around 13,500 interviews.
Source: www.ehima.com
