For those of us living in a city full of trucks, construction noise and thoughtless neighbors, it is almost unimaginable that for 40 percent of Americans, noise poliution is not a problem at all. In fact only 5 percent of Americans are affected a lot by the noise around them, and 14 percent are affected a good deal. Eighty-one percent are affected either not at all or only a little.
The noises that do affect people are overwhelmingly caused by traffic. Fifty-four percent of responders say car noise affects them on an ordinary day, 35 percent mentioned motorcycles, and 31 percent mentioned sirens. Barking dogs and loud music seem to have a major impact on the environment both were mentioned by 37 percent. Factory noise was mentioned by only 9 percent.
Causes of noise nuisance seem to be regional. Sixty-two percent of responders mentioned car noise in the West, compared to only 48 percent in the North East. They also seem more susceptible to barking dog noises with 46 percent finding dog noise a nuisance in the West compared to only 35% in the North East.
