Predictors of aircraft noise annoyance: results of a telephone study

Abstract

As part of the EU-project COSMA (Community Oriented Solutions to Minimize aircraft noise Annoyance), a telephone study was carried out around Cologne/Bonn Airport in order to identify the most influencing variables of aircraft noise induced annoyance. More than 1200 persons from six areas with differing aircraft noise exposure were interviewed. Various acoustical (e.g., LAeq,6-22, LAeq,22-6, flight altitude, predominant type of operation) and non-acoustical variables (e.g,. attitudes, noise sensitivity, noise insulation of home, features of surrounding area) were surveyed for every participant. Aircraft noise annoyance was measured by the semantic 5-point ICBEN scale. A distinction was made between annoyance in general and annoyance at night. Two multiple regression models showed that the LAeq – extracted in 5dB(A)-steps from noise contour maps – could explain only a small proportion of variance in the annoyance ratings (16.5 % for annoyance in general, 17.9 % for annoyance at night). Including non-acoustical variables into the regression model significantly raised the proportion of explained variance to 54.8 % and 52.3 %, resp., whilst integrating further acoustical variables beside the LAeq had no effect. Results are in line with findings of other studies stressing the enormous impact of non-acoustical variables on noise annoyance.