Survey: 6 in 10 Aussies regularly risk irreversible hearing damage

A consumer survey today revealed 6 in 10 Australians regularly risk noise-related hearing damage, and even loss, by ignoring health warnings to wear hearing protection when mowing their lawn.

The first lawn mower survey by independent consumer ratings agency Canstar Blue showed a concerning 58% of Australians surveyed choose not to wear ear plugs or ear muffs when using their lawn mower.

“The results show the Baby Boomer generation are the most likely to risk noise-induced hearing loss, with 60% not wearing hearing protection compared to 59% of Generation X and 48% of Generation Y respondents. This is particularly concerning given the Baby Boomer generation are more vulnerable to hearing damage because of their age,” said CANSTAR CANNEX’s Head of Research Steve Mickenbecker.

“These findings are particularly concerning as permanent hearing damage can occur after only one hour of unprotected exposure to noise this loud. This type of neglect can result in permanent hearing loss when you consider most Australians mow their lawn once every week or so,” said Endeavour College of Natural Health Director of Education Dr Nicholas Vardaxis. 

“This type of damage is entirely preventable and there is no excuse. Australians need to be more vigilant and make sure they are using ear plugs or ear muffs each and every time they mow the lawn. They should also take a break every 15 minutes to reduce the length of their noise exposure.”

The Canstar Blue survey also revealed Honda beat its competitors by coming out on top with most satisfied lawn mower customers, winning over leading brands Masport, Rover and Victa.

“Honda is the clear winner in the eyes of its customers, taking out the prize in the categories of overall satisfaction, reliability and performance, ease of start, maintenance and servicing, quality of grass cut and after sale service and warranty,” Mr Mickenbecker said.

Rover was voted number one by its customers for price.

Most Common Lawn Mower Gripes

• High price and too noisy
• Excessively heavy and difficult to manoeuvre
• Smaller people and those less strong having difficulties starting the mower
• Poor ability to cut grass
• Poor quality of mower and parts, particularly the blades and plastic wheels
• Design flaws, including awkward height of handle
• Multiple complaints about the lawn mower catcher - including poor quality, difficulty in taking the catcher on and off and a lack of catcher in some instances.

Canstar Blue, an initiative of CANSTAR CANNEX, commissions Colmar Brunton to survey 2,500 Australian consumers across a range of categories every few months to measure and track customer satisfaction. Honda today received the Most Satisfied Customers Award for Lawn mowers.

The outcomes reported are the results from buyers of lawn mowers within the survey group. To qualify, the lawn mower has to have been bought within the last 3 years.

“We launched Canstar Blue to give Australians a free online resource to help them with their key purchasing decisions by making it simple for them to learn from the experiences of other consumers. It is essentially a guide to product excellence as voted by customers,” Mr Mickenbecker said.

The independent survey was undertaken in conjunction with professional market researchers, Colmar Brunton.

The full Canstar Blue results are available at www.canstarblue.com.au.

Other key survey findings

• Females were more satisfied than males with their lawn mower.
• Baby boomers lived up to their optimistic reputation; with the study showing they are the happiest generation with their lawn mower overall.
• South Australian residents are more satisfied with their lawn mower than Australians in any other state.

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About Canstar Blue:

Canstar Blue was launched in July 2010 by CANSTAR CANNEX, Australia and New Zealand’s premier researcher of retail finance information for more than 350 institutions across the finance sector. Canstar Blue will release regular surveys to measure and track Australian consumer satisfaction to help consumers make the best purchasing decisions for their needs. Canstar Blue customers are encouraged to use the database for competitor analysis as well as a means of disseminating their product range.

What are the Canstar Blue ratings?

Canstar Blue researches, compares and rates the suite of products according to customer satisfaction across categories including banking, domestic airlines, telecommunications, cars, electronic retailers and plasma and LCD TVs. Results are freely available to consumers who are encouraged to use the ratings as a guide to product excellence. The use of similar ratings logos also builds consumer recognition of quality products across all categories. Please access the Canstar Blue website at www.canstarblue.com.au if you would like to view the latest ratings reports of interest.

RATINGS: Most Satisfied Customers – Lawn Mowers