Development and Validation of the Aircraft Noise related Fairness Inventory (fAIR-In)

Abstract

Annoyance caused by aircraft noise is largely influenced by non-acoustic factors, such as the attitude towards the noise source, perceived control over the noise and the predictability of noise occurrence. Underlying many of these non-acoustic factors is perceived fairness, e.g., regarding information provision by the noise source or opportunities for noise-affected residents to participate in noise-related decision-making. A validated instrument to assess a variety of fairness aspects in surveys has been lacking. Therefore, the Aircraft Noise related Fairness Inventory (fAIR-In) has been developed, a multifaceted psychometric instrument. With 32 items, the fAIR-In assesses aspects of distributive, procedural, informational and interpersonal fairness of airport management. The development of the fAIR-In as well its validation by means of data from 1,367 residents living around three German airports are presented. Results reveal a high degree of predictive validity with regards to annoyance, airport and air travel acceptance, as well as protest behavior. Our findings indicate that the fAIR-In is a useful tool for capturing existing community perceptions of the airport, as well as facilitating the design, monitoring and evaluation process of interventions aimed at improving the relationship between the airport and its residents.