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Public awareness and perceptions of ocean plastic pollution and support for solutions in the United States
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A nationally representative survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. adults found that plastic pollution was their top ocean concern, ahead of oil spills and climate change. About half of Americans had heard of microplastics, and most supported prevention measures and believed industry should take the lead in addressing the problem. However, concern focused more on impacts to marine wildlife than on direct human health risks, suggesting public awareness of the personal health dimension is still growing.
We conducted a nationally-representative survey of United States (U.S.) adults (n=1,960) in 2021 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% of Ocean Conservancy members had heard of microplastics. Both study groups indicated widespread support for microplastic pollution prevention measures in the U.S. and believed industry to be most responsible for taking action to address it. Ocean Conservancy members were generally better informed and more concerned about plastic pollution impacts and microplastics than U.S. adults and reported significantly greater levels of personal action to reduce their plastic footprint when compared to U.S. adults. In general, U.S. adults reported a willingness to refuse single-use plastics, but less frequently brought personal food containers to restaurants for takeout, or contacted local representatives or businesses about reducing plastic waste and pollution. Overall, our survey results provide new insights about public understanding of ocean threats and plastic pollution, willingness to participate in individual plastic-reduction actions, and support for needed solutions.
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Public awareness and perceptions of ocean plastic pollution and support for solutions in the United States
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A 2021 nationally representative survey of 1,960 U.S. adults measured knowledge, perceptions, and concerns about ocean plastic and microplastic pollution, comparing responses between the general public and highly engaged ocean conservation advocates. The survey found that while ocean plastic pollution ranked among the top concerns, knowledge about microplastics specifically was lower than concern about visible plastic debris.
Public awareness and perceptions of ocean plastic pollution and support for solutions in the United States
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