TEMPORALITY OF NEIGHBORHOOD SOUND PERCEPTION 

Sound levels vary by time of day and day of week. Therefore, we would expect the perception of neighborhood loudness to vary as well. Below are the responses to survey questions asking participants to rate the loudness of their neighborhoods during the daytime and nighttime for both the weekday and the weekend. We were also interested in the sound level within their homes and if they felt as if they had control over the sound level inside of their homes.

Overall, the majority of survey respondents rated the sound level inside of their home as not or slightly loud. Despite the fact that the majority of residents felt as if the inside of their homes were not or slightly loud, over half of the participants felt as if they did not have control over the sound level inside of their home. This percentage was even greater for those who lived in shared space environments (72%) and, by neighborhood, those who lived in Chinatown (65%) and East Boston (82%).

Survey participants felt as if the weekend nighttime sound levels were loudest, as the percentage of moderately to  very loud was largest during this time frame.