The Journal of Noise & Health (February 2008) discusses a study done by Vishakha W. Rawool and Lynda A. Colligon-Wayne. Rawool and Wayne distributed a survey among college students to determine their life styles and beliefs regarding exposure to loud noises.

The survey was distributed to 40 male college students and 198 female college students.

Some of the findings of this study were as follows:

1. Twenty-nine percent of these students reported that they worked in noisy environments. Only 15% of these used hearing protection.
2. About 50% of the students agreed that when they were using personal music devices, that people next to them could hear their music.
3. Over 75% of students believed that they were not at risk for losing their hearing until later on in life.
4. About 68% of the students have had ringing in their ears, which is symptomatic of tinnitus.

Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded that educating students in schools would likely motivate students to use hearing protection when exposed to loud noises, and to lower the volume on their personal music devices.