Annoyance, sleep disturbance, health aspects, perceived risk and residential satisfaction around Schiphol airport: Summary of results of a questionnaire

Abstract

As part of the Evaluation and Monitoring Programme for Schiphol airport, a questionnaire on the prevalence of self-rated annoyance, sleep disturbance, perceived general health, respiratory complaints, satisfaction in the study area was sent to a randomly selected sample of 30,000 people living within 25 km of Schiphol airport. The purpose of this study was to assess these factors in relation to the exposure to aircraft noise and air pollution. Exposure to aircraft noise was based on model calculations. The airport's proximity to the respondent's home was used as a proxy for air pollution caused by aircraft. The survey response rate was 39%. The results of this study show that annoyance from aircraft noise is greater than expected, also when the effect of selective non-response is taken into account. There is a relation between aircraft noise and noise annoyance, sleep disturbance, perceived health, use of medication, risk perception and residential satisfaction in the study area. The proximity of the airport was directly related to annoyance due to odours and soot from aircraft, respiratory complaints, and the use of medication for asthma and/or allergy