Table 1.
List of questions in a survey addressed to residents of Polish cities concerning sounds in urban space
| Question No. | Content of the question | Structure of the answer to the question |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Do you perceive your place of residence as: very noisy, noisy, rather noisy, rather quiet, quiet, very quiet | Closed-ended question, six answer options to choose from |
| 2 | What sounds do you hear most often where you live? Mark all relevant answers and evaluate by putting an X in the column on a scale of 1 to 5 (1-unpleasant, 2-somewhat unpleasant, 3-obnoxious, 4- rather pleasant, 5- pleasant) | There were twenty-six types of sound sources (acoustic effects) to choose from, plus an “Other” answer. The list of source types included in this question is shown in Table 2. |
| 3 | Do the sounds of the city matter to you? Answers: yes, no, don’t know | Closed-ended question, three answer options to choose from |
| 4 | Would you like to change the sounds of your city? Answers: definitely yes, only some of them, definitely no, hard to say | Closed-ended question, four answer options to choose from |
| 5 | Can you characterize your place of residence (please select all matching answers) | Choice of ten descriptors of the respondent’s place of residence; possibility to indicate more than one of them in the answer (list of descriptors shown in Table 3) |
| 6 | When deciding where to live, did you think about the acoustic value of your place of residence? Responses: did not make a decision about where to live; yes, it was very important to me; yes, but it was not the most important factor for me; no, I was not interested in these issues, but now I think it was a mistake; no, I was not interested in these issues and would not continue to consider them | Closed-ended question, six answer options to choose from |
| 7 | If you spend your leisure time in the city, in which spaces do you spend your leisure time most often? Responses: I do not spend my leisure time in the city; pubs, cafes, restaurants, city square; surrounded by nature, city parks, city allotments; in commercial spaces (galleries, shopping centers, arcades); other – what? | Open question. In addition to the proposed descriptors, it allows you to enter your own descriptor |
| 8 | Are there places in your city that you avoid because of the sounds (noise) there? Answers: no; yes (state which ones?) | Open question |
Table 2.
List of descriptors for question 5 in the survey as in Table 1
| Descriptor No. | Content of the descriptor |
|---|---|
| 1 | The sound of cars and other means of transportation |
| 2 | Sounds of traffic signal system / pedestrian crossing |
| 3 | Bicycle Bells |
| 4 | Signal of a passing ambulance, police or fire truck |
| 5 | Sounds of road/repair work (including tool sounds e.g. impact hammer, drill). |
| 6 | Car horns |
| 7 | Low-flying aircraft, helicopters, drones |
| 8 | Hustle and bustle of moving people/groups of people |
| 9 | The buzz of children playing |
| 10 | Loud talking / shouting / arguing |
| 11 | The sounds of parties, discos, etc.., |
| 12 | Noise of dining establishments (sounds of dishes, cutlery, sounds of people eating and talking) |
| 13 | Music of musicians / street performances |
| 14 | Sound of cell phone rings, SMS notifications and more |
| 15 | Rumble of gunshots at recreational and sports shooting ranges |
| 16 | Rumble of fireworks being set off |
| 17 | The clatter of women’s heels on the sidewalks |
| 18 | Barking dogs and the sounds of other pets |
| 19 | Sounds of farm animals |
| 20 | Bird noises |
| 21 | The clatter of horses’ hooves, the sound of horse-drawn vehicles (e.g., carriages) |
| 22 | Sounds (buzzing) of insects |
| 23 | The sound of flowing water (streams, cascades, fountains) |
| 24 | Sounds of precipitation (e.g., rain, hail) |
| 25 | Other atmospheric phenomena (high winds, thunderstorms) |
| 26 | Other (what kind?) |
Table 3.
List of descriptors for question 5 in the survey as in Table 1
| Descriptor no. | Descriptor content: I live … |
|---|---|
| 1 | in the very center of the city |
| 2 | in one of the neighborhoods around the center |
| 3 | on the outskirts of the city |
| 4 | in a block of building (multi-family housing). |
| 5 | in a single-family house (detached, terraced, semi-detached) |
| 6 | on a busy street |
| 7 | by the railroad line |
| 8 | by the tramline |
| 9 | at an industrial plant |
| 10 | within range of other dominant sounds, i.e ……………… |