PATH-ANALYSIS OF THE COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO ROAD TRAFFIC NOISE

Path analysis was applied to data collected in a social survey on the community response to traffic noise along a trunk road in Tokyo. The d ata were collected from more than 390 female residents by means of a q uestionnaire. A path model was developed for the causal relation of th e noise annoyance, dissatisfaction with living environment, and the wi sh of the respondents to move to the antecedent variables, including n oise levels, personal factors, and noise effects. The strongest effect on annoyance was for the noise level, followed by interferences with daily activities. The model explains 43% of the variation in annoyance . The dissatisfaction with the living environment and wish of responde nts to move depended strongly on noise annoyance, but other factors sh ould also be considered, as only 33% and 19% of their variation, respe ctively, could be explained by the model. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limi ted.