NEW YORK CITY — Loud music, construction and sirens are just a few of the city sounds that New York State Comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, wants New Yorkers to tell him about in a new noise survey available online Monday.
“By noise, we mean sound that you do not want to hear,” the New York State Comptroller’s Office clarified in the introduction to the survey that the comptroller hopes will help the state government better understand where and how noise affects New York City residents.
“Noise is a fact of life in New York City, but it is one of New Yorkers’ most common complaints,” DiNapoli said in a press release. “Taking this short survey will help us better understand where problems are and how well they are being addressed.”
Already, 46 percent of New Yorkers say they complain to their neighbors about making too much noise, according to a separate survey released Monday by search engine Homes.com. But neighbors are just one source of noise that New York residents can now officially gripe about.
The comptroller's survey, which takes about 15 minutes to complete and is anonymous, asks participants to check off each noise they hear in their neighborhood, when the offending noise usually occurs and how those noises affect their lives.
The kinds of noises to choose from include “animals,” “music or party” and “people outside or inside.” An “other” category is also available for a participant to fill in all varieties of New York City sounds.
There are also a few questions that ask participants to describe what they usually do to respond to or complain about the noise.
"The survey is first and foremost a tool for planning audits by identifying areas of risk," said Matthew Sweeney, Assistant Communications Director for the State Comptroller. "Where are New Yorkers experiencing the most unwanted noise and how are their complaints handled?"
The comptroller's office said in a press release that it will compile the information into a report and distribute it to the city's community boards.
Take the survey here before March 15. It is also available in Mandarin, Russian and Spanish.
