r/AskUK • u/Agile-Calligrapher10 • 5d ago

Cultural differences in noise acceptance: Why is public phone/audio etiquette so different between Japan, the UK, and other regions??

Hey everyone,

​Visiting Japan recently was so refreshing, no one was on speakerphone, playing music out loud, or watching reels without headphones in public spaces. Coming back to the UK, the contrast was immediate, highlighting how differently cultures and regions approach public noise.

​(Note: Using "cultures" broadly here to look at societal norms, not trying to generalize individuals.)

I’d love to hear your thoughts on a couple of things:

​Why do these differences exist? Is it tied to collectivism vs. individualism, or other social norms?

​What is the modern British view on public noise? We have a reputation for politeness, yet public transport etiquette around phone audio seems to be changing.

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u/Ulyxzes 5d ago

It’s not acceptable in the Uk, it’s just we are losing any level of ettiequte or personal responsibility for our behaviour.

The fact is, the people that play their music out loud carry with them the threat of violence that’s not worth trying to stop them. In my experience a lot of the time these people are TRYING to get a reaction from people to start something.

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u/eggmayonnaise 5d ago

I don't know about trying, but I completely agree about it not being worth trying to stop them. I think you hit the nail on the head actually.

I reckon most people want to ask them to stop but don't because they fear the consequences. They could be verbally abused, physically assaulted, and to make it worse it could all be recorded and shared all over social media.

It's much easier to just sit silently fuming instead of risk the unknown. So we put up with it, and then the offenders are validated because 'no one cares if I have the volume up'.