Exploring relationships among soundscape perception, spatiotemporal sound characteristics, and personal traits through social media

Understanding the causes of noise annoyance requires recognition of the factors that affect soundscape perceptions. This study aims to explore multilevel factors of acoustic comfort and the perceived health effects of sound exposure, including personal traits, sound characteristics, and spatiotemporal features of the surrounding environment. We designed the Soundmap chatbot to collect data from the participants during May 16-July 16, 2022. The participants completed two tasks including sound recording and questionnaires. Sound feature extraction and identification were computed. Two soundscape perception variables were used as outcome variables and measured, and cumulative link mixed models were applied for statistical analysis. Results showed that for female participants, lower acoustic comfort was associated with sound exposure at night, at the land use of transportation and built-up areas, as well as the sounds of machines, vehicles, and airplanes. Low-frequency sound exposure and sounds of nature, silence, music, and human activity were associated with higher acoustic comfort, and these exposures were also associated with positive perceptions of health in rural areas and on weekends. Individuals with extraversion had a higher tolerance to sound; those with high noise sensitivity had a lower tolerance to sound. Understanding sound perception is crucial in maintaining a sustainable urban acoustic environment.