Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Psychological outcomes from a citizen science study on microplastics from household clothes washing

A citizen science study in which households measured synthetic microfibers released during laundry washing found that participants reported increased environmental concern and behavioral intent to reduce microfiber emissions, demonstrating that participatory research on household microplastic sources can have positive psychological effects.

2025
Article Tier 2

Psychological outcomes from a citizen science study on microplastics from household clothes washing

A three-month citizen science project in the Netherlands studied how participating in microfiber laundry bag monitoring influenced residents' environmental awareness and washing behaviors, finding that hands-on engagement with pollution measurement can shift consumer attitudes.

2025 Environmental Science Advances
Article Tier 2

Psychological outcomes from a citizen science study on microplastics from household clothes washing

Researchers conducted a pre-registered three-month citizen science study in the Netherlands where participants used microfiber-capturing laundry bags and completed pre/post surveys on environmental concern, perceived responsibility, and washing behavior. High baseline environmental concern was found but did not strongly predict behavior change, suggesting psychological interventions beyond awareness are needed to reduce laundry microfiber emissions.

2025
Article Tier 2

Students’ attitudes towards the environment and marine litter in the context of a coastal water quality educational citizen science project

Middle school students who participated in a citizen science project monitoring coastal water quality and microplastic pollution showed significantly more positive environmental attitudes afterward compared to a control group. The study suggests that hands-on engagement with real microplastic research can be an effective way to build environmental awareness in young people.

2023 Australian Journal of Environmental Education 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Science in and with society: insights into synthetic microfibre emissions from textiles with citizen scientists

Researchers engaged citizen scientists in a large-scale study of synthetic microfibre emissions from household textile washing, collecting real-world data on how fabric properties and washing conditions influence microfibre release rates while also investigating individual willingness to adopt pollution-reducing laundry practices.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Science in and with society: insights into synthetic microfibre emissions from textiles with citizen scientists

Researchers partnered with citizen scientists to study synthetic microfibre emissions from washing textiles at scale, generating broad real-world datasets on how washing conditions and fabric properties drive microfibre release and assessing public attitudes toward adopting microfibre reduction behaviors.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Extending the theory of planned behaviour to investigate the issue of microplastics in the marine environment

Researchers extended the theory of planned behaviour to investigate public attitudes toward marine microplastic pollution, finding that environmental awareness and perceived behavioral control significantly predicted consumers' intentions to reduce microplastic-generating product use.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Citizen science against the plastic soup: background, motivation and expectations of volunteers studying plastic pollution on Dutch riverbanks

Researchers surveyed 122 citizen scientists in the Dutch Clean Rivers project before and after one year of monitoring plastic pollution on riverbanks, finding that participants were predominantly middle-aged, highly educated, and motivated by activist goals of tackling plastic pollution at its source, while more personal motivations such as learning and enjoyment declined significantly over the participation period.

2023 Research for All 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Can we investigate microplastic pollution with school students? Experiences from eight years of citizen science research

Researchers reported on eight years of citizen science microplastic research conducted with school students through the Plastic Pirates program, sharing methodological experiences and lessons learned from involving more than 24,000 participants across Germany and other European countries in rigorous environmental monitoring.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Pro-environmental behaviour is undermined by disgust sensitivity: The case of excessive laundering

Not relevant to microplastics — this is a social psychology study examining how disgust sensitivity and pro-environmental identity conflict to drive excessive laundry washing behavior among European consumers.

2024 PLoS ONE 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Citizen_Labs – conception and evaluation of a course on plastic waste and microplastic in adult education

Researchers conceived and evaluated a citizen science laboratory course on plastic waste and microplastics for adult education, examining how experiential learning formats can raise environmental awareness and scientific literacy about plastic pollution among non-specialist participants.

2022 CHEMKON 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Differences and InfluencingFactors of Public Participation in EnvironmentalProtection Behavior in the Private and PublicSpheres in China

Not relevant to microplastics — this sociological study analyzes factors influencing Chinese citizens' environmental protection behaviors in public and private spheres, using 2013 national survey data.

2023 Polish Journal of Environmental Studies 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Public knowledge of microplastics for pro-environmental behavior

Researchers analyzed public knowledge of microplastics and its relationship to pro-environmental behavior, finding that because microplastics are invisible to the naked eye, public perception depends entirely on external information sources rather than direct experience, with implications for environmental communication strategies.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Embedding citizens within airborne microplastic and microfibre research

A citizen science study investigated airborne microplastics and microfibres in home environments, which are likely major sources of indoor plastic emissions given the volume of plastics and textiles stored and used there. Involving residents in sampling improved spatial coverage and community awareness of microplastic exposure in everyday settings.

2023 Cambridge Prisms Plastics 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Public perception of microplastics pollution in Switzerland: Psychological distance, concern, and willingness to engage in mitigation activities

Researchers surveyed over 900 people in Switzerland to understand how the public perceives microplastic pollution and their willingness to take action. The study found that people perceive microplastics as a relatively close threat on most psychological dimensions, and that concern about the issue, particularly concern for nature, is a stronger predictor of willingness to engage in mitigation activities than psychological distance alone.

2026
Article Tier 2

Longitudinal Study of Motivation, Attitude, and Knowledge of Citizen Scientists Monitoring Plastic Pollution On Dutch Riverbanks

Researchers conducted a longitudinal study of 403 citizen scientists participating in the Dutch Clean Rivers riverbank plastic monitoring project between 2017 and 2021, finding that project action and environmental motivations increased significantly within the first year while knowledge of scientific research methods also improved.

2024 Citizen Science Theory and Practice
Article Tier 2

The potential contribution of citizen science data in the study of coastal microplastic and mesoplastic distributions

Researchers analyzed citizen science data from the Big Microplastic Survey to assess the potential contribution of volunteer-collected observations to understanding coastal microplastic and mesoplastic distribution patterns, evaluating data quality and spatial coverage relative to conventional scientific monitoring.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Article Tier 2

The human dimension: how social and behavioural research methods can help address microplastics in the environment

This paper outlines how social and behavioral science research methods — including surveys, interviews, and behavioral experiments — can be applied to understand human dimensions of the microplastic pollution problem. Addressing plastic pollution requires not just environmental science but also understanding why people produce, use, and dispose of plastics as they do.

2016 Analytical Methods 89 citations
Article Tier 2

Citizen Science for Assessment of Microplastics on Beaches: A Case Study in Mexico

Researchers used a citizen science approach involving 26 volunteers to assess microplastic abundance and type on Mexican beaches, providing broad geographic coverage at lower cost than traditional monitoring. Participants used standardized materials and training to collect and identify microplastics, generating a representative database that also raised public awareness of coastal plastic pollution.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

REMEDIES Citizen Science Protocol for the Recovery and Quantification of Microplastics

This citizen science protocol equips everyday volunteers to collect and quantify microplastic fibers released from synthetic fabrics during home laundering. Standardizing community-based sampling methods is critical for scaling up environmental monitoring and building the large datasets needed to understand how washing clothes contributes to microplastic pollution.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

REMEDIES Citizen Science Protocol for the Recovery and Quantification of Microplastics

This citizen science protocol equips everyday volunteers to collect and quantify microplastic fibers released from synthetic fabrics during home laundering. Standardizing community-based sampling methods is critical for scaling up environmental monitoring and building the large datasets needed to understand how washing clothes contributes to microplastic pollution.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Can we investigate microplastic pollution with school students? Experiences from eight years of citizen science research

Researchers shared eight years of experience from the Plastic Pirates citizen science program involving over 24,000 school students and teachers in microplastic research across Germany, addressing challenges of contamination prevention, particle size, and sample processing in non-laboratory settings. The study evaluated the feasibility and scientific validity of engaging young citizen scientists in standardized riverine microplastic monitoring.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Exploring the psychological antecedents of private and public sphere behaviours to reduce household plastic consumption

Researchers surveyed 648 people to understand what psychological factors drive different plastic-reduction behaviors — switching to plastic-free products, political activism, and supporting policy. Personal moral norms predicted all three types of action, while feeling personally capable was the strongest driver of purchase decisions, suggesting that reducing plastic use requires addressing both values and practical barriers.

2022 Environment Development and Sustainability 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Citizen Science in the Philippines: Coastal biodiversity engagements on a small island

This paper is not directly about microplastics; it surveys public participation in citizen science projects on a small Philippine island, focusing on coastal biodiversity conservation and volunteerism patterns by gender and age.

2024 Journal of Marine and Island Cultures 2 citations