Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Environmental Value and Pro-environmental Behavior Among Young Adults: The Mediating Role of Risk Perception and Moral Anger

A survey of 558 young adults tested the relationship between environmental values and pro-environmental behavior, finding that risk perception and moral anger acted as mediating mechanisms through which values translated into action. The study provides insights for environmental communication strategies aimed at motivating plastic pollution reduction behaviors in younger populations.

2022 Frontiers in Psychology 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Reassessing the Impact of Fear Appeals in Sustainable Consumption Communication: An Investigation into Message Types and Message Foci

This experimental study tests how different types of fear appeals (economic, physical, self-esteem) in environmental marketing messages influence consumers' intention to buy sustainable products. It is not about microplastics or environmental contamination; it is a marketing/consumer behavior study and is a false positive for microplastic relevance.

2023 Sustainability 6 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

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

The Impact of Seeking and Processing Environmental Information Related to Microplastics on Pro-environmental Behavior Intentions : Focusing on the Risk Information Seeking and Processing Model (RISP)

Researchers applied the Risk Information Seeking and Processing (RISP) model to examine how seeking and processing microplastic-related environmental information influences pro-environmental behavior intentions, finding that subjective norms around information were more predictive than negative emotions or perceived information insufficiency.

2024 Korean Journal of Broadcasting and Telecommunication Studies 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

Decoding derogation: The impact of environmental values and political ideology on the effect of persuasive message about recycle and reuse behaviors

Researchers examined how environmental values and political ideology influence reactions to persuasive messages about plastic pollution, finding that these personal belief systems shape message derogation in distinct ways that subsequently affect risk perception, self-efficacy, and individuals' intentions to recycle and reuse plastics.

2024 Risk Analysis 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Students’ Attitudes and Perceptions Towards Plastics and Microplastics Pollution: Implications for Vietnam

This Vietnamese study applied the Theory of Planned Behavior to survey students' attitudes and intentions regarding plastic and microplastic pollution. Attitude was the strongest predictor of pro-environmental behavioral intention (β=0.411), suggesting that awareness and attitude change through education are more effective levers than appeals to subjective norms.

2025 VNU Journal of Science Legal Studies
Article Tier 2

Risk, efficacy, and the moderating role of policy effectiveness in microplastic reduction intentions

A survey study examined how perceived risk severity, vulnerability, self-efficacy, and response efficacy influence people's intentions to reduce microplastic use, finding that perceived policy effectiveness moderated the relationship between these beliefs and pro-environmental behavioral intentions.

2025 Asian Journal of Water Environment and Pollution
Article Tier 2

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

A survey in Switzerland examined public psychological distance from microplastic pollution and willingness to take mitigation action. Despite high awareness, many respondents perceived the problem as temporally and personally distant, and concern did not reliably predict behavioural intentions, highlighting communication challenges for policymakers.

2025
Article Tier 2

The social divide in environmental action: demographic gaps in public response to microplastic pollution in Taiwan

A population survey in Taiwan found significant demographic gaps in awareness of and action on microplastic pollution, with education, income, and age being strong predictors of both knowledge and behavioral response. These findings highlight that public health campaigns about microplastics need to be targeted and inclusive, as the populations least engaged may also face the greatest exposure risks.

2026 Health Promotion International
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

Assessment of Risk Perception on Microplastics Pollution in Drinking Water Sources

Researchers surveyed higher education students to assess their risk perception of microplastic pollution in drinking water sources and measured relationships between perception, concern, and behavioral intention to reduce plastic use. The study aimed to identify knowledge gaps and inform awareness campaigns targeting informed plastic reduction behavior among young adults.

2022 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 1 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
Article Tier 2

An empirical assessment of worry about microplastics among the Norwegian public

Researchers surveyed 699 Norwegian adults online about their familiarity with and worry about microplastics, along with risk perception components including controllability, threat level, and personal values. Women and older respondents reported higher worry, and those endorsing self-transcendence values showed greater concern, though these demographic and value associations became non-significant once risk perception variables were included in the regression model.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

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

Consistent or inconsistent? The effects of inducing cognitive dissonance vs. cognitive consonance on the intention to engage in pro-environmental behaviors

Researchers investigated how cognitive dissonance between environmental awareness and pro-environmental behavior influences individuals' rationalization strategies, finding that attempts to induce cognitive consonance could shift behavioral intentions, with implications for designing more effective pro-environmental communications.

2022 Frontiers in Psychology 28 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of mortality salience and explicit self-esteem on plastic reduction intention: A moderated mediation model

Researchers tested whether mortality salience—reminding people of death—combined with self-esteem levels influenced attitudes toward plastic reduction for future generations. High mortality salience increased pro-environmental attitudes in people with high explicit self-esteem but had the opposite effect in those with low self-esteem, suggesting terror management dynamics shape plastic reduction intentions.

2025 PLoS ONE
Article Tier 2

The Influence of the Big Five Personality Traits on Residents’ Plastic Reduction Attitudes in China

Researchers investigated how the Big Five personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism) influence Chinese residents' attitudes toward plastic reduction, finding that personality dimensions significantly shape individual support for or resistance to plastic-reduction behaviors.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 4 citations