Comparison of community response to road traffic noise in Japan and sweden, part I: outline of surveys and dose-response relationships

摘要

To investigate cross-cultural differences in the community response to road traffic noise, social surveys were conducted in Gothenburg, Sweden, and Kumamoto and Sapporo, Japan. Community responses were compared on the basis of dose-response relationships. The main results are summarized as follows: 1) There are no systematic differences between community responses in Sapporo and Kumamoto, which ahve the same culture; 2) people living in detached houses in Gothenburg are more annoyed by the same road traffic noise than are people living in Japanese cities; and 3) there are no systematic differences among the three cities with regard to activity disturbances indoors, but there is significant disturbance to activities and resting in gardens or on balconies in Gothenburg due to the differences between lifestyles in the two countries.