Pathways to Environmental Inequality: How Urban Traffic Noise Annoyance Varies across Socioeconomic Subgroups

Peter Preisendörfer (), Heidi Bruderer Enzler, Andreas Diekmann, Jörg Hartmann, Karin Kurz and Ulf Liebe
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Peter Preisendörfer: Institute of Sociology, University of Mainz, Jakob-Welder-Weg 12, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
Heidi Bruderer Enzler: School of Social Work, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Pfingstweidstr. 96, CH-8037 Zurich, Switzerland
Jörg Hartmann: Research Centre Global Dynamics, University of Leipzig, Strohsackpassage, D-04109 Leipzig, Germany
Karin Kurz: Institute of Sociology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 3, D-37073 Göttingen, Germany
Ulf Liebe: Department of Sociology, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-18

Abstract: The article investigates how socioeconomic background affects noise annoyance caused by residential road traffic in urban areas. It is argued that the effects of socioeconomic variables (migration background, education, and income) on noise annoyance tend to be underestimated because these effects are mainly indirect. We specify three indirect pathways. (1) A “noise exposure path” assumes that less privileged households are exposed to a higher level of noise and therefore experience stronger annoyance. (2) A “housing attributes path” argues that less privileged households can shield themselves less effectively from noise due to unfavorable housing conditions and that this contributes to annoyance. (3) Conversely, an “environmental susceptibility path” proposes that less privileged people are less concerned about the environment and have a lower noise sensitivity, and that this reduces their noise annoyance. Our analyses rest on a study carried out in four European cities (Mainz and Hanover in Germany, Bern and Zurich in Switzerland), and the results support the empirical validity of the three indirect pathways.

Keywords: noise annoyance; noise exposure; housing attributes; environmental susceptibility; socioeconomic background (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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