Subtitles were an accessibility feature viewers usually didn’t pay attention to unless they were hearing-impaired. These days, though, subtitles are a popular option when watching TV. Preply’s survey of 1,265 Americans found that half of them watch TV with subtitles on for reasons beyond hearing loss or watching foreign films in another language.

A Generational Trend

89% of the people surveyed by Preply have used subtitles at some point. Differences emerge when it comes to how often people use subtitles. Gen Z uses them the most. 70% say they have subtitles on 70% of the time, and Millennials are just above the average amount at 53%. Gen X and Baby Boomers are the least likely to use subtitles. The team graphed data on how often each generation uses subtitles.

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Sound Mixing Issues Get the Blame

The most common reason respondents said they use subtitles is muddled audio. 78% of people who use subtitles say that loud background music drowns out dialogue. 55% of people believed that dialogue is harder to hear now than it used to be. 61% of people say accents make a film more difficult to understand, so they turn on subtitles. Some people use subtitles to keep the TV volume down or to stay focused while they’re dealing with children, pets, or work.

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Sound-mixing complaints tie into another emerging opinion about modern television. 44% of viewers think that shows and films are shot in darker tones than in the past. They don’t like the aesthetic, and they think it’s harder to see. Another 35% of people think actors speak faster now than they used to, which also contributes to the use of subtitles.

The Most Subtitled Shows and Stars

A fun section of the study delves into the shows and stars that get the subtitle treatment the most. The most subtitled shows were Peaky Blinders, Derry Girls, and Game of Thrones. Tom Hardy, Sofia Vergara, and Arnold Schwarzenegger were cited as the most difficult-to-understand celebrities. Over half of viewers say they turn on subtitles to follow dialogue with accents they find hard to understand.

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Subtitles While in Public

A big difference in TV viewing now is that many people watch on their devices while out in public. 74% of Gen Z does this, citing that they watch on public transit, at work, and even while walking and driving. Divided attention is probably part of what’s increasing the appeal of subtitles for this group. For those watching online clips on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, 41% turn on subtitles.

Foreign Films and Language Learning

62% of respondents said they use subtitles more for streaming services than regular TV channels. They said that Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu have the best subtitle features. For foreign-language shows, like the popular Korean series Squid Game, 74% preferred watching in Korean with subtitles over the English dub. 26% of respondents say they use subtitles to help them learn a new language.

Ask an American to name the most attractive accent in the country, and you’ll get a surprisingly consistent answer, though not the one internet memes might lead you to expect. Preply surveyed 2,551 adults across all 50 states, and the Southern drawl was the winner with a healthy lead.

At 17.7%, Southern accents drew the largest share of “most attractive” votes, well ahead of Boston and New England (10.2%), the Midwest (10%), and New York City (9.1%). Respondents used words like friendly, authentic, and warm to describe the Southern drawl. One described a Southern drawl as sounding unhurried and genuinely welcoming, like a creek flowing over smooth rocks.

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At the state level, Louisiana was crowned king of Southern accents with 7.3% of votes, followed by Texas (6.4%), California (5.4%), Georgia (5.3%), and New York (5%). Louisiana pulled off an unusual double win. It also ranked first as the hardest accent to understand, which sounds like a contradiction, but maybe it’s exactly the point.

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Worth noting is that 16.4% of respondents said no region in particular has the most attractive accent. Accent preference isn’t universal and a meaningful share of Americans don’t rank them.

Gen Z and Boomers are attracted to accents on opposite sides of the map. 19.9% of Boomers picked Southern accents versus 9.8% of Gen Z respondents. The split reverses on NYC accents, with 11.4% of Gen Z selecting it and only 5.6% of Boomers. The slang divide is even more dramatic. 82.5% of Boomers have never heard “delulu,” 76.1% didn’t recognize “sus,” and 74.1% weren’t familiar with “rizz.” Even the self-explanatory “cringe” raised confusion among 43.5%.

Some local slang doesn’t travel well. 67.7% of Americans didn’t recognize Pittsburgh’s “yinz.” Philadelphia’s “jawn” drew blank stares from 63.4% of Americans, New England’s “packie” puzzled 63.2%, the Midwestern “ope” is mysterious to 58.8%, and the Mid-Atlantic’s “water ice” is meaningless to 51.7%. There is one clear exception. Over half of Americans say “y’all,” which means this Southern term has gone national.

Are regional slang and accents fading? The team examined opinions on this too. Respondents had theories on what could eliminate slang and accents. 32.8% think it could be due to population, while 28.4% blame social media like TikTok for flattening speech, a similar opinion to the 27.8% who think that internet slang displaces local expressions. Others (23.9%) blame older generations for not passing terms down, 20.2% blame streaming and TV for affecting accents, and 18.5% think professional pressure pushes people to adopt neutral speech.

When Americans were asked why they take pride in their regional speech, 21.9% said it was a sense of connection to their home. 20.5% said their accent reminds them of home. 17.2% of respondents said their accent gave them a sense of identity, and 13.5% tied their accent to their heritage and culture.

25.1% of Americans reported having no pride in their accent, rising to 31.5% among Boomers and falling to 18.9% among Gen Z. The youngest generation is the proudest even as accents reportedly blur over time.

Student Choice has published the 2026 updated version of its study, ranking the most popular college degrees by return on investment after five years in the workforce. The team’s premise is timely as they examine a hot topic: the cost of higher education. The average cost of college now exceeds $43,000 per year, so entering the workforce with these student loans became a high-stakes game. The analysis pairs the top 25 majors in 2026, based on a previous Student Choice study, with earnings data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate how much a graduate earns in their first five years relative to their four-year tuition investment. They illustrated their findings by ranking 20 degree types compared to 40 common occupations.

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The team used a simple methodology. The average cost of college is $43,098 per year for a total investment of $172,392 for four years, with ROI calculated as median wages earned over five years divided by the four-year college cost. Majors that require advanced degrees like physical therapy, veterinary medicine, physician assistant, dentistry, and pharmacy were excluded from the ROI comparison even though these majors rank in the top 25.

Aviation tops the rankings chart, claiming the leading spot by a wide margin because of its astounding 574.3% ROI after five years, boosted by the median annual wage of $198,000. The field’s popularity is likely due to high pay and a looming pilot shortage as veteran airline workers retire. Engineering and computer science tied for second place at 290% each with median wages of $100,000 a year.

Healthcare and quantitative fields round out the upper tier. Nursing ranks fourth with an ROI of 272.6%, followed by math at 249.4% and accounting at 237.8%. Business, political science, architecture, and biology all tie for eighth at 217.5%, based on a $75,000 median wage. Education and social sciences sit near the bottom of the list at 159.5%, and fine arts at the bottom at 145%.

The study’s most helpful section might be the table that shows how career choice within a major can dramatically outperform the degree’s baseline. Aviation graduates who became airline pilots, copilots, or flight engineers reached a 652.7% return on a median wage of $226,600. Computer and information systems managers hit 496.5%, financial managers reached 469%, and public relations and fundraising managers reached 385.4%. Even lower-ranked majors can have exceptions. For example, fine arts majors who become art directors have a 322.1% return with a median salary of $111,040. Math majors working as actuaries earn 364.8%.

Overall, though, this study shows us that getting a degree pays off. Even accounting for student debt, the data suggests that degrees can double or triple the initial investment within five years. While most people will work for about four decades after student life, the returns will continue to compound. There is a growing preference for specialized, career-focused degrees with clear pathways into established professions so students can enjoy the ROIs we see here.