A new online survey has found that nearly 60 per cent of Ontarians believe their city or town has become noisier.
The online survey was conducted by British Columbia firm Research Co. from May 19-21 and was based on the responses of 1,000 Canadian adults.
The survey found that 63 per cent of respondents believe their town or city has become noisier over the last year, up from 54 per cent during a similar survey conducted in 2023.
“A third of Canadians say their home is noisier now than last year, while more than two-in-five feel the same way about their street,” a press release accompanying the survey reads.
According to the press release, the most common complaints from residents are about noise from vehicles like motorcycles and cars “revving up” while residents are inside their home.
Dogs barking and construction-related noises like roofing, land clearing and the noise from heavy machinery came a close second.
Additionally, more than one-in-five respondents said that they loud people outside homes, car alarms, loud music in vehicles and homes, and excessive honking, the report says.
The survey also found that 16 per cent of Canadians have reported using earplugs to deal with the noise while inside their homes, while 11 per cent said they use noise cancelling headphones.
“The proportion of Canadians who have not taken any action to deal with noise inside their home has fallen from 74 per cent in 2022 to 67 per cent in 2023,” Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. says in an analysis accompanying the survey. “Canadians aged 18 to 34 are more likely to be wearing earplugs or acquiring special hardware to mitigate noise.”
The survey was weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region and is considered accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Are you someone who lives in the Greater Toronto Area where noise has become a glaring issue? Do you have to find methods to manage it by using earplugs or similar hardware? Have you ever relocated due to noise concerns?
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