To investigate cross-cultural di!erences in the community response to road tra$c noise, social surveys were conducted in Gothenburg, Sweden, and Kumamoto and Sapporo, Japan, using the same questionnaire and noise measurement method. Typical residential areas with detached houses and apartments were selected as the target areas in each city. The questionnaire comprised 40 questions relating to environmental, housing and personal factors. The key questions concerned annoyance caused by road tra$c noise. The total numbers of respondents were 1142 in Gothenburg, 837 in Kumamoto and 780 in Sapporo. The response rates were 68)8, 69)3 and 57)5% respectively. After the questionnaires were completed, noise measurements were made in each area. Community responses were compared on the basis of the dose}response relationships. There were no systematic di!erences between community responses in Sapporo and Kumamoto, which have the same culture. People living in detached houses in Gothenburg were more annoyed by the same road tra$c noise than the people living in Japanese cities. There were no systematic di!erences among the three cities with regard to activity disturbances indoors, but signi"cant disturbance of activities and resting in gardens or on balconies was noted in Gothenburg. The di!erence in activity disturbance was due to the di!erences between lifestyles in the two countries. People living in detached houses were more annoyed by the house vibration caused by road tra$c than those living in apartments and people were annoyed by the exhaust from road tra$c to the same extent as noise.
2002 Academic Press