Halifax Noise Study: Resident Perceptions into Noise Annoyance

Abstract

As the population of Halifax, N.S. continues to grow and urbanization continues, as does the issue of urban noise. Experiencing noise at home or in urban environments is shown to have a myriad of negative health and psychological impacts. Natural species such as songbirds are especially vulnerable to the impact of increased noise due to their reliance on acoustic communication. The purpose of this study being to 1) Explore the level of annoyance associated with noise in Halifax and 2) to investigate the sources of noise residents of Halifax find to be most annoying. To provide a representative sample of the population, it was determined that 384 study participants would be sufficient, based on Halifax’s 2016 population count of 403,390, calculated with a 95% confidence level and 5% margin of error. Participants (18 years or older) were recruited via targeted ads on social media and asked to complete the anonymous online survey consisting of questions discussing levels of noise annoyance and noise sources while in their home or in their neighbourhood over the last 12 months. Sociodemographic questions were also included in the survey asking for resident postal codes for relative location, ages, and other similar indicators. The survey took 8–10-minutes to complete and was available in the early months of 2022. A total of 468 residents completed the survey. Data analysis consisted of finding measures of central tendency, counts, as well as the proportion of annoyance from scaling questions. Pattern and focused coding analysis was conducted for open-ended responses to understand the most significant source of noise annoyance. The research found that residents of Halifax were moderately to highly annoyed with noise that was outside in their neighbourhood over the last 12 months or so. Both road traffic and fireworks were found to be sources of significant noise annoyance. Road traffic was identified as the most annoying noise source at any time, and fireworks were found to be the most common nighttime noise annoyance source that interfered with residents’ ability to sleep.

Keywords: Urban Noise, Noise Annoyance, Noise Pollution, Anthropogenic Noise, Noise Annoyance Scales, Built Environment, Noise Annoyance Survey, Traffic, Neighbourhood, Fireworks, Halifax Regional Municipality