COMMUNITY REACTIONS TO SONIC BOOMS IN THE OKLAHOMA CITY AREA. VOLUME 2. DATA ON COMMUNITY REACTIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS
Abstract
During a period of six months from February to July 1964, the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, area was repeatedly exposed to sonic booms generated to simulate overpressure levels that are expected for supersonic transport overflights. The schedule provided for eight sonic booms per day. During the six-month period, almost 3,000 local residents were interviewed three times to determine the nature and extent of their reactions to the sonic booms. This report contains a detailed description of the overall study design including the selection of households, selection of respondents, training and selection of interviewers and samples of questionnaires used during the interviews. Among the findings it was determined that ordinary living activities were often interrupted by sonic booms, but that a majority of the residents felt they could learn to live with the interruptions. A substantial number of residents felt they had sustained damages from the booms, although detailed engineering observations of structures in the area did not confirm most of these reports. As the intensity of the booms increased, acceptance of the booms by residents was reduced. Residents who felt that the development of a commercial supersonic airplane was important were more likely to accept the exposures to the sonic booms.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1965
- Accession Number
- AD0625332
Entities
People
- Paul N. Borsky
Organizations
- NORC at the University of Chicago