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Public awareness and perceptions of ocean plastic pollution and support for solutions in the United States
Summary
A 2021 nationally representative survey of 1,960 U.S. adults assessed public knowledge, perceptions, and concerns about ocean plastic pollution, comparing responses between the general public and engaged Ocean Conservancy advocates. The survey revealed that while concern about plastic pollution is high across groups, knowledge specifically about microplastics was lower than awareness of visible marine debris.
In 2021, we conducted a nationally-representative survey of United States (U.S.) adults (n=1,960) to gather insights on the knowledge, perceptions, and concerns about threats to the ocean, with a specific focus on plastics and microplastic pollution. Responses from the U.S. adult survey group were compared to a group of highly-engaged, Ocean Conservancy members who are very attuned to ocean issues (n=882). Ocean Conservancy is a U.S.-based nonprofit environmental advocacy group working to protect the ocean from today's greatest challenges. Plastic pollution was the primary ocean concern identified by both U.S. adults and Ocean Conservancy members, surpassing eight other threat categories including oil spills, chemical and nutrient pollution, and climate change. Broad concern was reported for both study groups about the impacts of ocean plastics on marine wildlife, with human health and coastal community impact concerns being less prominent. About half of U.S. adults and 90 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/544250/document