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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Constitutive and Material: An Empirical Analysis of the Two Dimensions of the Communication on Microplastics in Japanese Journals
ClearTelling stories about (micro)plastic pollution: Media images, public perceptions and social change
This paper examines how microplastic pollution has been framed in media reporting and how the public understands the issue, finding that culturally embedded ideas about risk and health shape people's responses. Understanding media framing and public perception is important for designing effective communication strategies around microplastic contamination.
Bridging the gap between microplastic research and social awareness of microplastic pollution through science communication: A call for action
Researchers examined the gap between scientific knowledge of microplastic pollution and public awareness, calling for improved science communication strategies. The study found that despite an enormous body of research documenting microplastics in soil, water, air, and organisms, effective translation of these findings into public understanding and policy action remains inadequate.
Media Issue Crystallization: The Case of Microplastic in Denmark
This study examined how Danish news media constructed and framed microplastic pollution as an emerging environmental issue, analyzing the process by which a complex scientific problem becomes a public concern. Media framing of microplastics influences public awareness and political action on plastic pollution.
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.
Next steps for research on society and microplastics
This perspective paper outlined priority directions for social and behavioral science research on microplastics, building on the established contributions of social sciences to understanding policy, stakeholder views, and public behavior around plastic pollution. The authors called for greater integration of social science methods to address governance gaps and support effective microplastic management.
From Ocean to Table: How Public Awareness Shapes the Fight Against Microplastic Pollution
This literature review synthesized global studies on public awareness of microplastic pollution, finding that while scientific knowledge has expanded significantly, public understanding and behavioral change remain limited. The study identified effective communication strategies and policy approaches to bridge the gap between scientific evidence and public action.
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.
Empirical relationship between the number of review and research articles
This bibliometric study examined the statistical relationship between the number of review articles and original research articles published over time in academic fields. While not related to microplastics directly, the findings shed light on publishing patterns that affect how scientific knowledge on topics like plastic pollution gets synthesized and communicated.
Making sense of microplastics? Public understandings of plastic pollution
Researchers conducted focus groups to explore public understanding of microplastics and plastic pollution. Most participants were unaware of microplastics, and few connected their personal plastic use to ocean pollution, instead associating the issue with distant images like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The study suggests that the invisible scale of microplastics, limited scientific understanding, and deeply embedded cultural habits around plastic use present significant barriers to behavior change.
A mixed method assessment of research productivity on microplastics in various compartments in the environment
This bibliometric study assessed global research productivity on microplastics across different environmental compartments, revealing literature growth trends, geographic distribution of research output, and identifying gaps in coverage across environmental media.
Current Status and Issues of Microplastic Pollution Research
This Japanese review summarized microplastic research in river and ocean environments, including national estimates of plastic discharged from Japan's rivers to the sea and microplastic distribution in Tokyo Bay. The paper also reviewed current analytical methods and their limitations for measuring small microplastic particles.
Review: Global perceptions of plastic pollution: The contours and limits of debate — R0/PR3
A review of 39 studies on public perceptions of plastic pollution found that research has clustered around marine ecosystems, single-use plastics, and recycling barriers, while underexploring systemic production reduction and connections to climate change or broader biodiversity loss. The paper emphasizes that terminology choices — 'marine debris' vs. 'microplastics' vs. 'plastic pollution' — frame public understanding differently and should inform policy communications.
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.
Current Trends, Spatio‐Temporal Dynamics of Microplastics Research and Global Public Health: A Scientometric Study
This scientometric study analyzes trends in microplastic research and its connection to public health, finding a rapid increase in published studies over recent years. The analysis maps how the field has grown globally and identifies key research themes connecting microplastics to human health concerns. The increasing volume of research reflects growing scientific recognition that microplastics are a significant public health issue.
On the Creation of Risk: Framing of Microplastics Risks in Science and Media
This study analyzes how microplastic risks are framed in scientific literature and media coverage, finding that scientific uncertainty is often amplified into public alarm through media framing, and examining the social construction of environmental risk in the absence of definitive toxicological evidence.
Research landscape of a global environmental challenge: Microplastics
This bibliometric analysis mapped global microplastic research output, finding a sharp increase in publications since 2006 and identifying China, the USA, and Germany as the most prolific contributors. The study distinguishes between primary microplastics (industrially produced) and secondary microplastics (formed by fragmentation) and contextualizes their global distribution.
Conceptions of university students on microplastics in Germany
Researchers surveyed German university students to capture their conceptions and misconceptions about microplastics, finding significant gaps between scientific knowledge and public understanding. The findings provide a basis for improving science communication and educational strategies around microplastic pollution.
Exploring public risk perceptions of microplastics: Findings from a cross‐national qualitative interview study among German and Italian citizens
Researchers conducted interviews with citizens in Germany and Italy to understand how ordinary people think about the risks of microplastics. They found that people often transferred their knowledge about large plastic pollution to microplastics, used concepts like accumulation and dose-response to reason about risks, and saw environmental and human health threats as closely connected. The study suggests that public risk perceptions of microplastics are shaped by intuitive reasoning and personal experiences rather than formal scientific knowledge.
Framing pollution
This social science analysis explores how "pollution" — and microplastics specifically — is defined not just by science but by political, economic, and cultural forces. The paper examines different ways of framing microplastic pollution: as a waste management failure, a consumer behavior problem, or an inevitable product of industrial capitalism, each with different implications for who bears responsibility. It argues that understanding the social and political dimensions of microplastic pollution is essential for developing just and effective responses.
Plastamination, Human Health, and Countries’ Cultural Orientation: An Exploratory Study on Prevention Strategies and Organizational Policies and Practices
Researchers conducted a systematic bibliometric review of microplastic and nanoplastic contamination (plastamination) literature from 1974 to 2025, examining biological, medical, engineering, and cultural dimensions of the problem, and finding that integrated multidisciplinary approaches linking technology, culture, and medicine are essential for developing effective global prevention strategies and organizational policies.
The influence of media narratives on microplastics risk perception
Researchers examined how media narratives about microplastic pollution influence public risk perception. The study argues that accurate and balanced reporting is essential to prevent misinformation and ensure people clearly understand the risks associated with microplastics. The findings suggest that understanding public perceptions can help design better interventions to reduce plastic consumption and its associated health and environmental impacts.
Global perceptions of plastic pollution: The contours and limits of debate
This review analyzed 39 peer-reviewed studies on public perceptions of plastic pollution, finding that research discourse is narrowly focused on marine impacts and single-use plastics while largely ignoring broader plastic pollution contexts relevant to international treaty negotiations.
Microplastic pollution - what have we learned from the last 20 years of research and what are the priorities ahead?
This paper reviewed two decades of microplastic research progress, from the 2004 discovery paper through current knowledge on sources, environmental distribution, and effects. Key findings are that the field has matured substantially, though standardized methodologies and long-term health impact data are still needed.
Introducing an “invisible enemy”: A case study of knowledge construction regarding microplastics in Japanese Wikipedia
Researchers analyzed revision history of the Japanese Wikipedia article on microplastics from 2014 to 2020, finding that editors were reluctant to update content with the latest science and that knowledge construction was shaped by cross-language information gaps, resulting in inaccurate or incomplete public information.