Survey on the actual condition of the sound environment in commercial spaces

Many people use a great variety of commercial spaces in their daily life, and are exposed to such a peculiar sound environment both consciously and unconsciously. In order to gain a comprehension of the user’s awareness of the sound environment in commercial spaces, a survey was conducted on residents of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area (1198 effective responses were received). The result shows a great majority of those questioned regard the sound environment as one of the features that enhance the atmosphere or the character of commercial spaces. Accordingly, the design of the sound environment plays a role as one of the important factors in creating the atmosphere of individual commercial spaces. On the other hand, it was also revealed that under current conditions, the loudness, articulation, quality, the manner of presentation of background music and announcements, etc. (especially how to use PA systems in noisy surroundings), in individual commercial spaces were not adequately adjusted or designed in many cases. This is associated with the limits of preference and the potential question of the awareness of the users.