Nearly 75% of regular clubbers suffer ‘some degree’ of permanent hearing damage, study reveals

Almost three-quarters of regular nightclub attendees have sustained some form of permanent hearing damage, according to a new study conducted by Resident Advisor and hearing protection initiative Life Is Loud.

Published on 28 February in the medical journal Noise & Health, the study—titled "Evaluating Listening Behaviours of Nightclub Goers: An International Web-Based Study with Resident Advisor"—surveyed over 1,000 regular clubbers and found that a striking 73.4% reported persistent hearing symptoms such as tinnitus, hyperacusis, or reduced hearing. The research further highlighted that clubbers frequently experience noise levels between 98 and 112 decibels, substantially higher than the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommended exposure limits.

Participants in the study, predominantly aged between 21 and 35 and mostly based in the UK, reported spending on average 5–6 hours in nightclubs per visit. The findings underscore that clubbers regularly exceed the WHO’s recommended monthly noise exposure limit by up to three times in just a single night.

"Your ears hold the soundtrack to your life, you need to look after them," James Schuster-Bruce, a certified ear, nose and throat doctor and co-founder of Life Is Loud, said in a statement. "On most dance floors, most clubbers will need earplugs to mitigate the risk of damage. We found 86 percent of respondents had tried earplugs, but only a third used them regularly."

The research also highlights the primary barriers to earplug use, with diminished music quality (45%) and discomfort (28%) cited as key reasons for avoiding them. Despite this, over 74% of clubbers surveyed felt current venue sound levels were acceptable.

Check out the full study here, and revisit our 2022 feature “The 13 best earplugs to protect your hearing in the rave” here.