A cross-cultural study on noise problems.

Cross-cultural surveys on neighborhood noise problems were conducted in Japan, Germany and England in 1980 and 1983. The main findings are as follows : (1) Some differences were found between Japan and Germany in sounds which residents were aware of or annoyed by. (2) In both countries the use of loudspeakers was accepted for conveying information necessary to the respondents. (3) German respondents seemed to find it more difficult to become habituated to noise, and to be less tolerant of being annoyed by noise from neighbors. (4) When annoyed by noise from neighbors, German respondents tended to take more direct actions. They also chose more direct countermeasures against noise. (5) In the opinions concerning neighborhood noise problems, Japanese. respondents had more critical attitudes. (6) The affective meanings of some terms related to noise (e.g. "loudness" and "noise") were different in different languages. The differences found in these surveys seem to derive from the cultural backgrounds of the countries.