Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Explicitly and Implicitly Measured Valence and Risk Attitudes Towards Plastic Packaging, Plastic Waste, and Microplastic in a German Sample

This psychology study measured both explicit and implicit attitudes toward plastic packaging and microplastics in German consumers, finding that people simultaneously appreciate the convenience of plastic while expressing concern about pollution. The gap between attitudes and behavior helps explain why plastic consumption continues despite public concern about microplastics.

2021 3 citations
Article Tier 2

A community-based cross-sectional study exploring knowledge, attitude, and practice of adults towards the use and hazards of plastic products

A community-based cross-sectional study explored public knowledge, attitudes, and practices around plastic use and health risks, finding gaps in awareness of plastic chemical components despite widespread daily use. The authors recommend targeted public education to promote healthier and more sustainable plastic choices.

2023 The Egyptian Journal of Community Medicine 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Do attitude towards behavior, subjective norms, and perceived control behavior matter on environmentally friendly plastic purchasing intention?

This study investigated whether attitude toward behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control predict consumer intention to purchase environmentally friendly plastic products, using questionnaire data collected via social media platforms. The findings provide empirical support for the Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework for understanding sustainable plastic purchasing decisions.

2024 International Journal of Management and Sustainability 1 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

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

On the way to reduce marine microplastics pollution. Research landscape of psychosocial drivers

A review of psychosocial drivers of marine plastic pollution found that factors including consumer convenience preferences, low perceived personal responsibility, and weak norm activation explain why behavioral change around plastic use is slow, and that interventions combining social norms messaging with structural changes show the most promise.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of Discrete Choice Experiment in Health Care: A Bibliometric Analysis

This bibliometric analysis examines the growing application of discrete choice experiments in health care research, identifying key trends and hotspots in the field. While not directly related to microplastic research, the methodology could be applied to understanding public preferences regarding microplastic risk reduction and environmental health policies.

2021 Frontiers in Public Health 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in personal care products: Exploring public intention of usage by extending the theory of planned behaviour

Researchers applied an extended theory of planned behavior to understand public attitudes toward using personal care products containing microplastic beads. The study found that environmental awareness, health concerns, and social norms significantly influenced consumers' intentions to reduce their use of products containing microplastics.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 48 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Drivers of green purchasing behaviour: a systematic review and a research agenda

This systematic review of 41 studies found that environmental concern, health consciousness, social influence, and perceived value are the strongest drivers of green purchasing behavior. While not directly about microplastics, the findings are relevant to understanding what motivates consumers to choose plastic-free or reduced-plastic products.

2023 F1000Research 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Our life with plastic, a review of plastic product abuse in the age of consumerism

This review examines the psychology, sociology, and culture of plastic consumerism alongside the scientific evidence for microplastic health harms, arguing that social sciences should complement natural science research by promoting rational product choices and awareness.

2024 Rozprawy Społeczne
Article Tier 2

Introducing Health-Climate-Economics and Rapid Viability Test for Candidate Solutions as a Tool for Automated Healthcare Procurement and Evaluation

This paper introduces a health-climate-economics framework for evaluating healthcare procurement decisions that account for climate and health co-benefits. It is not related to microplastics.

2021 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A Systematic Review on Knowledge, Attitude and Practices towards Single-Use Plastic

This systematic review examines what people know and think about single-use plastics and whether that knowledge changes their behavior. Understanding public attitudes toward disposable plastic is important because single-use items are a primary source of the plastic waste that breaks down into the microplastics now found in human blood, organs, and food.

2022 Journal of Materials in Life Sciences (JOMALISC) 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Public Awareness Of Plastic Pollution And Perceived Risks To Human Health.

This study aims to assess public awareness of plastic pollution and its health impacts by surveying urban and semi-urban communities about their plastic use habits and self-reported health outcomes. Researchers plan to compare families using plastic food-contact materials with those using non-plastic alternatives to identify gaps in awareness and potential health differences linked to everyday plastic exposure.

2026
Article Tier 2

Consumer Awareness of Plastic: an Overview of Different Research Areas

Researchers analyzed consumer awareness of plastic across environmental science, engineering, and materials science literature using bibliometric methods, finding that each discipline frames plastic concerns differently and that a significant gap exists between what researchers prioritize and the plastic-related concerns of everyday consumers.

2023 Circular Economy and Sustainability 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Public Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Consumption: Case of Bioplastic Medical Masks

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research; it uses a discrete choice experiment to measure consumers' willingness to pay for bioplastic medical masks, focusing on sustainable purchasing behavior rather than microplastic pollution science.

2024 Circular Economy and Sustainability 2 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of values and social norms on consumers’ intention to avoid cosmetics containing microplastics: The mediating role of risk perception and personal norm

This research examined how consumer risk perception of cosmetics containing microplastics, shaped by personal values and social norms, influences the intention to avoid such products. The model found that environmental concern and social norms were key drivers of avoidance behavior.

2025 UNICA IRIS Institutional Research Information System (University of Cagliari)
Article Tier 2

Addressing Plastic Concern: Behavioral Insights into Recycled Plastic Products and Packaging in a Circular Economy

This study surveyed 511 Italian consumers to understand what drives people to buy products made from recycled plastic. Social norms, personal attitudes, and a sense of control over one's choices all influenced purchasing behavior. While not a health study, understanding consumer behavior toward recycled plastics is relevant because increasing plastic recycling rates could help reduce the amount of plastic waste that breaks down into microplastics in the environment.

2024 Circular Economy and Sustainability 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Marketing and the Challenges of Green Marketing Communication: Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Buying Behaviour for Sustainable Products in the Czech Republic

Not relevant to microplastics — this survey examines Czech consumer attitudes toward sustainable products, exploring the gap between professed environmental values and actual purchasing behavior, and the challenges of green marketing communication.

2024 WSB Journal of Business and Finance 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Consumer Habits and Practices for Cosmetics: a Statistical Approach

Despite its title referencing cosmetics consumer habits, this paper studies the behavioral and sociological factors driving cosmetic purchasing decisions — not microplastic pollution. It examines survey data on consumer attitudes toward cosmetic products and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.

2025 Journal of Science and Arts 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Who worries about microplastics? The relative importance of personal values and individual risk judgements / ¿A quién le preocupan los microplásticos? La importancia relativa de los valores personales y los juicios individuales de riesgo

Researchers surveyed nearly 700 people in Norway to understand what drives public worry about microplastic pollution. They found that personal values and individual risk perceptions were the strongest predictors of concern, more so than demographic factors or general environmental attitudes. The study suggests that communication strategies about microplastic risks should account for how people personally evaluate threats rather than relying solely on scientific information.

2024 PsyEcology Bilingual Journal of Environmental Psychology 5 citations
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

Next steps for research on society and microplastics

This perspective paper assessed the contributions of social and behavioral sciences to microplastics research, covering policy analysis, public education, and stakeholder engagement. The authors argue for greater integration of social science methods to understand and reduce plastic pollution at the human systems level.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Systematic Review Tier 1

A systematic review of microplastics perception and its factors: Implications on SDGs

This systematic review examines public awareness and understanding of microplastic pollution around the world. The findings show that gender and education level are key factors in how people perceive microplastic risks, and that more research is needed on how awareness translates into behavior changes that could reduce plastic pollution and its health impacts.

2025 Sustainable Futures 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Internet User Awareness Assessment on the Impact of Microplastics on Health

A survey of 281 internet users aged 15–50 across diverse demographics assessed public awareness of microplastic health risks. Results revealed significant gaps in understanding — most respondents had heard of microplastics but underestimated their prevalence in food and water and were unaware of specific health effects. The study highlights that public health messaging about microplastics lags well behind the scientific evidence, which matters because consumer behaviour and policy support both depend on informed public understanding.

2023 Bulletin of Science and Practice 1 citations