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 data were collected from more than 390 female residents by means of a questionnaire. A path model was developed for the causal relation of the noise annoyance, dissatisfaction with living environment, and the wish of the respondents to move to the antecedent variables, including noise 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 respondents to move depended strongly on noise annoyance, but other factors should also be considered, as only 33% and 19% of their variation, respectively, could be explained by the model. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited.