An assessment of certain causal models used in surveys on aircraft noise annoyance

Abstract

The causal relationships which have so far been proposed between aircraft noise exposure, annoyance and certain “psycho-social” variables (fear of aircraft crashing, general attitude towards aviation, etc.), are re-analysed, and it is demonstrated that by using correlational analysis one can arrive at contradictory results. From the sociological surveys undertaken to date, one can derive only an ordered sequence of verbal reactions to aircraft noise, and not a causal sequence between these verbal reactions: the only clear cause of annoyance is the noise itself. It is suggested that future surveys on noise annoyance should include personality tests and health questionnaires, if one wishes to establish reliable causal sequences.