Effects of nightlife noise on residents' intentions to take action

This study investigates the effects of nightlife noise on residents’ intentions to take action against the noise. An online questionnaire was conducted among 161 respondents living in inner-city nightlife areas in medium-sized cities in the Netherlands. The results showed that noise annoyance (the negative appraisal of sound) and noise disturbance (being unable to do things that are possible to do without the sound) do not significantly affect residents’ intentions to escalate their nightlife noise issues to local authorities. Additionally, the results show that situational variables seem to have less effect on outcome behaviors and attitudes compared to some select personal characteristics. Reasons why people complain or take action seem to be closer related to who they are, instead of what situation they find themselves in.