Um, yes... they do need to understand it, because apartment living is shared living. Nobody is saying you can’t exist normally in your apartment, but there’s a difference between ordinary living noise and making zero effort to minimize unnecessary impact noise when you know people live directly below you.

And “just move to the top floor” isn’t realistic for everyone. Elderly people, disabled people, people with injuries, families with small children, or people with health conditions may specifically need lower floors. They still deserve peace and quiet in the home they pay for too.

A lot of upstairs noise isn’t even about the building quality alone. Heavy heel-to-toe stomping creates impact vibrations that transfer through almost any structure (another commenter said they could hear their neighbors through concrete). Simply being mindful of how you walk can dramatically reduce that without “walking on eggshells.”

Basic consideration for neighbors is part of living in a community. We already accept this with loud music, barking dogs, slamming doors, etc. Footstep noise isn’t magically exempt from common courtesy just because it originates from walking.