Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Using Factor Analysis to Understand the Influence of Individual Perception on Plastic Waste Disposal

Researchers used factor analysis to identify the key influences on plastic waste disposal behavior among 360 randomly selected residents in three districts of Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. The most influential factors were inadequate municipal waste collection and lack of education (factor loadings of 0.84 and 0.82), followed by perceptions of plastic durability, distance to disposal infrastructure, and weak regulatory enforcement.

2022 Indonesian Journal of Social and Environmental Issues (IJSEI) 2 citations
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

Behavioural Patterns of Plastic Use by Indigenes of Ho: Influence of Awareness Levels, Attitudinal Change and Legislative Frameworks

This study surveyed residents of Ho, Ghana about their plastic use behaviors, finding that legislative frameworks were the most significant factor influencing behavior change over individual awareness or attitudes. This finding suggests that regulatory approaches may be more effective than education campaigns alone for reducing plastic waste that becomes microplastics.

2023 Environmental Management and Sustainable Development
Article Tier 2

Pro-environmental behavior regarding single-use plastics reduction in urban–rural communities of Thailand: Implication for public policy

Researchers surveyed urban and rural residents in Thailand to understand what drives people to reduce single-use plastic use, finding that moral values better explained behavior in city residents while practical reasoning was more influential in rural communities. The findings suggest that plastic reduction policies should be tailored to community context, emphasizing ethics in cities and rational incentives in rural areas.

2024 Scientific Reports 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Predictive Power of Goal-striving Reasons for Self-reported and Actual Plastic Consumption

This psychology study examined whether people's reasons for reducing plastic use can predict their actual plastic consumption behavior. Understanding the psychological drivers of plastic reduction could inform more effective public communication campaigns about microplastic pollution.

2021 Humanities and Social Sciences
Article Tier 2

The Role of Awareness of Consequences in Predicting the Local Tourists’ Plastic Waste Reduction Behavioral Intention: The Extension of Planned Behavior Theory

Researchers surveyed local tourists in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to understand what drives intentions to reduce plastic waste on beaches. The study found that awareness of environmental consequences, social norms, and perceived behavioral control all positively influenced intentions to reduce plastic waste. Interestingly, personal attitude alone was not a significant predictor, suggesting that community influence and awareness campaigns may be more effective than individual mindset shifts.

2024 Sustainability 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Factors Influencing Urban Residents’ Intention of Garbage Sorting in China: An Extended TPB by Integrating Expectancy Theory and Norm Activation Model

Researchers extended the Theory of Planned Behavior with expectancy theory and norm activation to identify factors driving urban residents' intention to sort garbage in China, finding that subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and personal moral norms were the strongest predictors.

2021 Sustainability 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices toward Plastic Pollution among Malaysians: Implications for Minimizing Plastic Use and Pollution

Researchers surveyed Malaysians about their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding plastic pollution. The study found that while most people were aware of plastic pollution problems, there was a significant gap between awareness and actual behavior change. The findings suggest that education campaigns alone are insufficient and need to be paired with practical infrastructure and policy changes to reduce plastic use.

2023 Sustainability 35 citations
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

Analyzing the Sociodemographic and Psychological Factors Influencing the Intention to Consume Single-Use Plastics Among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Quantitative Study

Researchers examined sociodemographic and psychological factors influencing single-use plastic consumption intentions among 125 Indonesian university students, finding that age, education level, and economic status all significantly predicted behavior, while personal beliefs were the dominant psychological predictor — integrating Theory of Planned Behaviour and Value-Belief-Norm frameworks.

2025 Jurnal Teknokes
Article Tier 2

Closing the Intention-Action Gap: Behaviorally-Aligned Strategies for Effective Plastic Pollution Reduction

This policy brief reviews plastic pollution reduction strategies in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and Jamaica through a behavioral science lens, examining why good intentions don't always lead to action. The analysis identifies interventions that can close the gap between people's environmental attitudes and their actual plastic use behaviors.

2023 Journal of Science Policy & Governance 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The value of multi-proxy experiments to study pro-environmental behavior

This methodological study argues that pro-environmental behavior research should use multiple proxy measures rather than relying on a single behavioral indicator, since different measures capture different dimensions of environmental action. The recommendation is relevant to studies assessing consumer responses to plastic pollution and waste reduction initiatives.

2023 2 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effect of Environmental Education, Consumer Awareness, and Environmentally Friendly Practices on Plastic Waste Reduction in Indonesia

Researchers measured the effects of environmental education, consumer awareness, and environmentally friendly purchasing intentions on pro-environmental behavior, using structural equation modeling on survey data. Environmental education indirectly improved behavior through increasing awareness and purchase intention, suggesting that educational interventions are most effective when paired with behavioral prompts.

2024 West Science Social and Humanities Studies 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Determinants of household’s waste disposal practices and willingness to participate in reducing the flow of plastics into the ocean: Evidence from coastal city of Lagos Nigeria

Researchers surveyed 600 households across 30 enumeration areas in coastal Lagos, Nigeria, to identify determinants of waste disposal behavior and willingness to participate in drainage cleanup programs to reduce marine plastic pollution. The study found that 67% of households engage in illegal waste disposal, and used multinomial logit and Heckman selection models to identify household size and prior community involvement as key predictors.

2022 PLoS ONE 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Sociodemographic factors and feelings of guilt in household waste management in Peruvian households

This paper is not about microplastics — it examines how sociodemographic factors such as age, income, and education influence feelings of guilt around household waste recycling in Peruvian families.

2024 International Journal of Innovative Research and Scientific Studies 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Factors Affecting the Intention to Implement Pro-environmental Behaviors: A Case of Riverside Communities in Cotabato City Rivers, Mindanao Island, Philippines

A study of riverside communities in Cotabato City, Philippines, examined what factors influence residents' intention to adopt environmentally protective behaviors, including proper waste disposal. Understanding community behavior drivers is relevant to reducing the plastic pollution that Filipino rivers contribute to the ocean.

2023 Journal of Marine and Island Cultures 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Macro impacts of plastic pollution in Ghana

Researchers applied qualitative system dynamics causal modelling to assess the macro-level impacts of plastic pollution in Ghana and West Africa, constructing a hierarchical framework linking high-level and low-level pollution effects across environmental, economic, and social dimensions. The systems thinking approach aims to inform effective policy development for preventing and mitigating plastic pollution in the region.

2024 Cambridge Prisms Plastics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Predicting green product consumption using theory of planned behavior and reasoned action

Researchers applied the theory of planned behavior to investigate how environmental awareness and social influence predict consumer intentions to use reusable bags, finding that these factors significantly shape green purchasing behavior in a plastic waste reduction context.

2020 Management Science Letters 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis of Factors of Single-Use Plastic Avoidance Behavior for Environmental Sustainability in China

A structural equation modeling study of 421 Chinese respondents found that attitude, perceived behavioral control, and policy intervention significantly influenced single-use plastic avoidance behavior, mediated by behavioral intentions and plastic-related environmental concerns.

2023 Processes 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Keep Your Litter in the Loop: Predicting Generation Z’s Intention to Recycle Single-use Plastic Waste

Researchers investigated the factors predicting Generation Z's intention to recycle single-use plastic waste in Indonesia, examining how government policy awareness, social movement influence, and behavioral determinants shape recycling intentions among young consumers amid growing plastic waste challenges.

2023 Psychological Research on Urban Society 4 citations