Thank you for your interest in participating in this listening survey. The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is carrying out a research study on how occupants of residential buildings perceive impact sounds (such as people walking, children jumping or objects being dropped onto the floor). This research will be used to help inform the potential addition of an impact sound requirement in future editions of the National Building Code of Canada (NBC).
The survey should take no longer than 25 minutes. Please take the time to carefully review each question and rate every item. Your answers are anonymous and cannot be traced back to you.

Eligibility:

• You must be 18 years or older to participate in this listening survey. You do not need to have perfect hearing, but you should be able to hear everyday sounds.
• This survey is open to residents of Canada and anyone living outside of Canada.
• Your participation in this survey is entirely voluntary. The NRC will not provide any compensation for participating in this survey. You can refuse to take part in this survey now or withdraw from it at any time without penalty.
• This survey will be available online until March 31, 2023.

Scenario:

• Imagine that you are sitting in your living room and you are hearing sounds from the floor above you. Rate the sounds in terms of how annoying you would find them in your daily life.

Instructions:

• Please make sure to use headphones and to do this survey in a quiet environment.
• Before you apply any ratings, first listen through all of the items on the 14 survey pages (there are 5 items on each page) to get used to the material.
• Once you have listened to the material, rate the overall annoyance of each item by moving the rating slider.
• You can listen to and switch between items as many times as you like.
• Click «Start» below to initiate the output level calibration. Adjust your volume and audio settings until you can barely hear the test tone and then click «Start» again to begin the experiment.
• Do not change the output volume until the experiment is finished.
• Please remember: there are no wrong answers. Have fun!

Contact details
For more information, or if you have any questions or concerns regarding your participation in this survey, contact Dr.-Ing. Markus Mueller-Trapet, principal investigator, by e-mail at markus.mueller-trapet@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.

Ethics Review
This survey is part of a research program under the NRC's Construction Research Centre. The procedures for this work have been reviewed by the NRC Research Ethics Board. Any questions or concerns about the ethics of this survey may be directed to the Secretariat of the NRC Research Ethics Board, at (613)-949-8681 or via email at NRC-REB@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca, referring to Protocol No. 2019-143.

Post-survey Questionnaire

General information
What is your country of residence?
How old are you?	Prefer not to say
What is your gender?	Woman Man Two-spirited Non-binary Fluid Prefer to self-describe Prefer not to say
Do you experience hearing loss?	No . Yes (self-diagnosed) Yes (medically diagnosed) Prefer not to say
Questions / Statements about this listening survey
What type of headphone did you use for this listening survey?	Earbuds / In-Ear headphones On-Ear headphones Over-Ear headphones (open-back) Over-Ear headphones (closed-back) Other / Don't know
If known, enter your headphone model
How authentic (i.e.: similar to sounds heard in an actual building) did the acoustic environment sound to you?	Not at all authentic Rather inauthentic Partly authentic Rather authentic Fully authentic
The instructions asked that you imagine yourself in your living room. How well were you able to put yourself into the living room situation?	Not at all Rather poorly Somewhat Rather well Very well
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
The survey was too long.	Agree fully Agree to some extent Neutral Disagree to some extent Disagree fully
I felt stressed during the survey.	Agree fully Agree to some extent Neutral Disagree to some extent Disagree fully
The instructions were clear.	Agree fully Agree to some extent Neutral Disagree to some extent Disagree fully
The sounds were too loud.	Agree fully Agree to some extent Neutral Disagree to some extent Disagree fully
Questions / Statements about your current home
What best describes your home?	Detached (single-family) Semi-detached house / row house Apartment in multi-unit building Other
For how long have you lived in your current home?	less than 6 months 6 months to less than 12 months 1 year to less than 3 years 3 years to less than 5 years more than 5 years
Do you rent or own your home?	Rent Own
How many full-time occupants (including yourself) are part of your household?	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > 8
How satisfied are you with the quality of the construction of your home?	Very satisfied Satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Dissatisfied Very dissatisfied
How much annoyance do you feel because of noise from neighbours? (music, sounds of people walking, sounds of things dropped on the floor)	Very annoyed Somewhat annoyed Not annoyed
I have difficulty falling asleep due to noise.	Not at all One to two days a month One to two days a week Three to four days a week Almost every day
I am awakened by noise at night.	Not at all One to two days a month One to two days a week Three to four days a week Almost every day
I am awakened by noise early in the morning.	Not at all One to two days a month One to two days a week Three to four days a week Almost every day
I have considerate neighbours.	Agree fully Agree to some extent Neutral Disagree to some extent Disagree fully
How do you react in everyday life, when you perceive noise from your neighbours?	I try to escape the situation (e.g. leave the room / the apartment). I try to mask the noise by turning on music or other sound sources. I do nothing, because I don’t feel disturbed by the noise. I do nothing, but feel angry / at the mercy of the noise. I try to stop the noise at source and address the neighbours. Other
Some people find that their health is affected by noise. For example, they may get headaches or feel tired and irritable. How much has your health been affected by noises you hear in your home?	Not at all affected Slightly affected Somewhat affected Very affected Extremely affected
Questions / Statements about noise in general
	1=Agree strongly, 6=Disagree strongly
I wouldn’t mind living on a noisy street if the apartment I had was nice.	1 2 3 4 5 6
I am more aware of noise than I used to be.	1 2 3 4 5 6
No one should mind if someone turns up their stereo full blast once in a while.	1 2 3 4 5 6
At movies, whispering and crinkling candy wrappers disturb me.	1 2 3 4 5 6
I am easily awakened by noise.	1 2 3 4 5 6
If it’s noisy where I am working, I try to close the door or window or move somewhere else.	1 2 3 4 5 6
I get annoyed when my neighbours are noisy.	1 2 3 4 5 6
I get used to most noises without much difficulty.	1 2 3 4 5 6
It would matter to me if an apartment I was interested in renting was located across from a fire station.	1 2 3 4 5 6
Sometimes noises get on my nerves and get me irritated.	1 2 3 4 5 6
Even music I normally like will bother me if I am trying to concentrate.	1 2 3 4 5 6
It wouldn’t bother me to hear the sounds of everyday living from neighbours (footsteps, running water, etc).	1 2 3 4 5 6
When I want to be alone, it disturbs me to hear outside noises.	1 2 3 4 5 6
I am good at concentrating no matter what is going on around me.	1 2 3 4 5 6
In a library, I don’t mind if people carry on a conversation if they do it quietly.	1 2 3 4 5 6
There are often times when I want complete silence.	1 2 3 4 5 6
Vehicles ought to be required to have bigger mufflers.	1 2 3 4 5 6
I find it hard to relax in a place that’s noisy.	1 2 3 4 5 6
I get mad at people who make noise that keeps me from falling asleep or getting work done.	1 2 3 4 5 6
I wouldn’t mind living in an apartment with thin walls.	1 2 3 4 5 6
I am sensitive to noise.	1 2 3 4 5 6

Submit

00:00