Population statistics
Prevalence data | Demand & exclusion
No demand
- The user is not required to perceive anything by hearing
Low demand
The user is required to have sufficient ability to do things like
- Understand someone talking in a loud voice in a quiet room without difficulty.
- Follow a TV programme with the volume turned up
Moderate demand
The user is required to have sufficient ability to do things like
- Understand someone talking over a normal telephone in a quiet room
- Notice a doorbell or alarm clock
High demand
The user is required to have sufficient ability to do things like
- Follow a conversation against background noise without great difficulty
- Follow a TV programme at a volume that others find acceptable
Demand levels assume that any desired hearing aids will be used.
Graph showing the number of people who would be excluded due to various levels of hearing demand
Important Note
These statements refer to the level of hearing ability that a product or service demands, in order to use it. For a particular demand level, the 1996/97 Disability Follow-up Survey is used to calculate the total number of people who do not have this level of ability, and will therefore be excluded. The GB adult population was 45.6 million people at the time of the survey. Please see the Framework section for more detail.