A Study on the Soundscape Preferences of the Elderly in the Urban Forest Parks of Underdeveloped Cities in China
Against the backdrop of the global aging trend, the proportion of the elderly population is severely increasing in the urban areas of underdeveloped regions. Despite evidence that urban forest parks are effective at enhancing the physical and mental well-being of the elderly, little has been done to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/6/1266 |
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| author | Lei Luo Qi Zhang Yingming Mao Yanyan Peng Tao Wang Jian Xu |
| author_facet | Lei Luo Qi Zhang Yingming Mao Yanyan Peng Tao Wang Jian Xu |
| author_sort | Lei Luo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Against the backdrop of the global aging trend, the proportion of the elderly population is severely increasing in the urban areas of underdeveloped regions. Despite evidence that urban forest parks are effective at enhancing the physical and mental well-being of the elderly, little has been done to investigate the connection between urban forest parks and the elderly in underdeveloped regions, and landscape studies in particular are lacking. This study attempted to address this gap, using a subjective evaluation method in which 725 elderly respondents were engaged in a questionnaire survey on their soundscape preferences in the urban forest parks of an underdeveloped city in China. The results revealed the elderly people’s preferences for soundscapes, and a further analysis demonstrated the relationships between these preferences and landscape features. The effects of personal traits and living situations on soundscape preferences were determined by analyzing the impacts of living conditions, occupation, and education on soundscape preferences. By building a model with regression coefficients, the most powerful factors influencing soundscape choice were investigated. It was found that (1) the types of sound sources preferred by the elderly, in descending order, were natural sound, livestock sound, bird song, musical sound, other sounds. (2) The differences among education, occupation, and age all affected the participants’ soundscape preferences, i.e., the mean values of the soundscape preferences among older adults varied with education, occupation, and age. The mean value of soundscape preference was higher among older adults who had received higher education, were government officials and business managers, and belonged to higher age groups. (3) Among the various factors influencing the soundscape preference of the elderly, the most influential factors were the length of time spent in the waterfront environment, the time spent in the forest park, and the importance of road signs. (4) The preference for soundscapes was strongly connected with happiness in life. (5) Wearing a mask significantly reduced soundscape perception scores under epidemic conditions, while vaccinated individuals were more tolerant of various noises. Recommendations for landscape design to improve the soundscape perception of elderly people are accordingly provided. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:27:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-aa2c1e712b86489787eb72494c7d76c4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:27:55Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-aa2c1e712b86489787eb72494c7d76c42023-11-18T10:28:38ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072023-06-01146126610.3390/f14061266A Study on the Soundscape Preferences of the Elderly in the Urban Forest Parks of Underdeveloped Cities in ChinaLei Luo0Qi Zhang1Yingming Mao2Yanyan Peng3Tao Wang4Jian Xu5Department of Tourism Management, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 511442, ChinaDepartment of Tourism Management, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 511442, ChinaGraduate School of Horticulture, Faculty of Horticulture, Chiba University, Chiba 271-8510, JapanDepartment of Urban Planning and Management, School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, ChinaZhijiang College, Zhejiang University of Technology, Shaoxing 312000, ChinaDepartment of Tourism Management, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 511442, ChinaAgainst the backdrop of the global aging trend, the proportion of the elderly population is severely increasing in the urban areas of underdeveloped regions. Despite evidence that urban forest parks are effective at enhancing the physical and mental well-being of the elderly, little has been done to investigate the connection between urban forest parks and the elderly in underdeveloped regions, and landscape studies in particular are lacking. This study attempted to address this gap, using a subjective evaluation method in which 725 elderly respondents were engaged in a questionnaire survey on their soundscape preferences in the urban forest parks of an underdeveloped city in China. The results revealed the elderly people’s preferences for soundscapes, and a further analysis demonstrated the relationships between these preferences and landscape features. The effects of personal traits and living situations on soundscape preferences were determined by analyzing the impacts of living conditions, occupation, and education on soundscape preferences. By building a model with regression coefficients, the most powerful factors influencing soundscape choice were investigated. It was found that (1) the types of sound sources preferred by the elderly, in descending order, were natural sound, livestock sound, bird song, musical sound, other sounds. (2) The differences among education, occupation, and age all affected the participants’ soundscape preferences, i.e., the mean values of the soundscape preferences among older adults varied with education, occupation, and age. The mean value of soundscape preference was higher among older adults who had received higher education, were government officials and business managers, and belonged to higher age groups. (3) Among the various factors influencing the soundscape preference of the elderly, the most influential factors were the length of time spent in the waterfront environment, the time spent in the forest park, and the importance of road signs. (4) The preference for soundscapes was strongly connected with happiness in life. (5) Wearing a mask significantly reduced soundscape perception scores under epidemic conditions, while vaccinated individuals were more tolerant of various noises. Recommendations for landscape design to improve the soundscape perception of elderly people are accordingly provided.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/6/1266soundscape preferenceelderlyurban forest parkunderdeveloped cities in Chinasubjective evaluation |
| spellingShingle | Lei Luo Qi Zhang Yingming Mao Yanyan Peng Tao Wang Jian Xu A Study on the Soundscape Preferences of the Elderly in the Urban Forest Parks of Underdeveloped Cities in China Forests soundscape preference elderly urban forest park underdeveloped cities in China subjective evaluation |
| title | A Study on the Soundscape Preferences of the Elderly in the Urban Forest Parks of Underdeveloped Cities in China |
| title_full | A Study on the Soundscape Preferences of the Elderly in the Urban Forest Parks of Underdeveloped Cities in China |
| title_fullStr | A Study on the Soundscape Preferences of the Elderly in the Urban Forest Parks of Underdeveloped Cities in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Study on the Soundscape Preferences of the Elderly in the Urban Forest Parks of Underdeveloped Cities in China |
| title_short | A Study on the Soundscape Preferences of the Elderly in the Urban Forest Parks of Underdeveloped Cities in China |
| title_sort | study on the soundscape preferences of the elderly in the urban forest parks of underdeveloped cities in china |
| topic | soundscape preference elderly urban forest park underdeveloped cities in China subjective evaluation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/6/1266 |
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