PERCEPTIONS OF NEIGHBORHOOD SOUND

Across all responses from the Greater Boston Neighborhood Noise Survey, average levels of the perception of street, community, and employment sound was 5.1, 5.4, and 4.2 points, respectively.

In this section we take a look at these factors by Boston Neighborhood. Specifically, we show graphs of the:

• Average sound perception level on a street level by Boston Neighborhood

• Average sound perception level on a neighborhood level by Boston Neighborhood

• Average annoyance levels by SOURCE by Boston Neighborhood

 Summarized key findings:

• White survey respondents rated their street louder than non-white respondents. Non-white respondents, however, rated their neighborhoods louder than whites.

• Those individuals without a college degree rated the loudness of both their street and neighborhood higher than those with a college degree.

• Those who were employed were more likely to rate the loudness of both their street and neighborhood louder than those who were not employed.

• Those who reported income levels lower than the state median income reported the loudness of both their street and neighborhood to be higher than those who reported income levels higher than the state median

• Home owners reported the sound level on their street to be louder than renters reported. However, owners reported the sound level in their neighborhood to be louder than what renters reported.

• Those who lived in a shared space environment were more likely to rate the loudness of both their street and neighborhood higher than those who lived in a non-shared space environment.

• For all survey respondents, the most annoying noise sources were any noise after 10 pm, aircraft, construction, and tourism. These ratings change dramatically by neighborhood.

VIEW STREET NOISE PERCEPTION BY NEIGHBORHOOD