In order to consider the actual condition of the sound environment in various commercial spaces from the users' point of view, a questionnaire survey was conducted on 5,000 residents in the surrounding Tokyo metropolitan area, in January 1997. Using a mail survey, 1,201 responses (return rate of 25%) were received. Based on the results, we were able to ascertain that the user shares the six different image factors to evaluate the importance of the design of sound environment. In case of the evaluating good or not as to actual experiences, concerning the design of the sound environment in various commercial spaces, we were able to focus on the 3 axes. As key factors. No.1 is "liveliness (lively/quiet)", No.2 is "size of space (large/small)" and No.3 is "the state of use (usual/unusual)". Especially, the single-regression analysis between the category score of "liveliness" (axis No.1) and the measured L_Aeq (personal exposure level) were appeared a relatively good correlation (r=-0.795). Consequently, it was suggested that the L_Aeq-value was an appropriate criterion to apply to a comprehensive investigation about the sound environment in commercial spaces.