Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The Persistence of Plastic: Environmental Public Art and Micro-Plastic Pollution

This study explored whether environmental public art about plastic pollution can motivate behavioral change in Australian audiences. Survey responses from art exhibit visitors showed increased concern and pro-environmental intentions, suggesting that arts-based communication strategies can complement scientific messaging in addressing microplastic contamination.

2020 Figshare 1 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

The degree of awareness of the risk of microplastic particles/people’s perception in taking preventive measures for this type of risk

This study surveyed public awareness of microplastic risks and perceptions around taking protective measures, finding that knowledge levels were variable and that most people had limited understanding of exposure routes and health implications. The authors call for targeted public communication campaigns to increase risk awareness.

2024 Journal of Engineering Sciences and Innovation
Article Tier 2

Eco-Art and Reeling in Anthropogenic Adversity

This paper explores how eco-art practices can raise awareness of anthropogenic pollution, including microplastics, by engaging communities through creative and visual approaches. The authors argue that artistic interventions can complement scientific communication in addressing environmental adversity.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Urban Science
Article Tier 2

Revealing the Invisible: Marine Plastic Waste and its Effects in Science-Inspired Visual Art

This paper explores how science-inspired visual art can make invisible marine plastic pollution perceptible to the public by translating scientific data into aesthetic experiences. The authors argue that artistic visualizations close the perceived distance between everyday life and ocean plastic harm, fostering stronger public engagement with pollution issues.

2025 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

The Art of (Up)Recycling: How Plastic Debris Has Become a Matter of Art?

This art and culture paper examines how contemporary artists have used plastic waste as a medium, exploring how art can communicate environmental concerns about plastic pollution to the public. The work documents artistic responses to the global plastic crisis. While not a scientific study, art-based approaches are relevant to raising public awareness about microplastic contamination and motivating behavioral change.

2021 Advances in Environmental and Engineering Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Aquademia 3 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Marine microplastic pollution & misinformation in the public sphere: a systematic review

This systematic review examines how scientific findings about marine microplastic pollution are communicated to the public, identifying gaps where misinformation can take hold. Accurate public understanding of microplastic risks matters because it drives consumer choices and policy decisions that affect human health protection.

2024 Discover Oceans 4 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
Article Tier 2

Health Literacy of Microplastics

This project examines public understanding and awareness of microplastic contamination as a health and environmental issue. The research focuses on health literacy related to microplastics, assessing how well people comprehend the sources, exposure pathways, and potential risks of these ubiquitous pollutants.

2026 Open Science Framework
Article Tier 2

Vanishing Point Unseen : an art/science collaboration and exhibition on the impact of microplastics in our oceans

This paper describes Vanishing Point, an art-science collaboration and exhibition raising public awareness of ocean plastic pollution and its ecological and social impacts. The project illustrates how scientific findings about microplastics can be communicated to broader audiences through visual art and storytelling.

2017 Figshare
Article Tier 2

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.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 293 citations
Article Tier 2

Informing the Public about Microplastics through a University and Museum Partnership

Researchers partnered with a museum to create public exhibits about microplastics, evaluating whether the experience improved visitor knowledge and concern about plastic pollution. The study found that interactive museum exhibits effectively raised public awareness — an important complement to scientific research in motivating behavioral changes to reduce plastic use.

2023 Journal of Chemical Education 2 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 PLoS ONE 26 citations
Article Tier 2

A survey on knowledge and awareness on the issue "microplastics": a pilot study on a sample of future public health professionals.

This pilot survey of future public health professionals revealed limited knowledge about microplastic pollution, highlighting the need for better education so that health workers can effectively communicate microplastic risks to the general population.

2021 PubMed 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the microplastics health impacts risk perception in Iranian people: Challenges and improvement strategies

Researchers surveyed Iranians to assess their awareness and risk perception of microplastic health hazards, finding significant gaps in public understanding despite growing environmental contamination. The study proposes strategies spanning individual behavior, community education, and national policy to improve microplastic risk management.

2025 Environmental Health Engineering and Management
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Risk Analysis 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Uncertainty about the risks associated with microplastics among lay and topic-experienced respondents

Researchers surveyed 1,681 respondents globally and found significant uncertainty about microplastic health risks not only among the general public but also among scientists who study plastics, reflecting the genuine knowledge gaps in current research on microplastic hazards.

2021 Scientific Reports 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution and environmental education through artwork

This study explores how upcycling discarded plastics into artwork can serve as a tool for environmental education about plastic pollution. Researchers describe an art installation collaboration that brought together the art world and environmental advocacy to raise public awareness. The study suggests that creative approaches to reusing plastic waste can effectively engage communities in understanding the scale and consequences of plastic pollution.

2024 Cambridge Prisms Plastics 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Telling 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.

2018
Article Tier 2

Public Health Knowledge and Perception of Microplastics Pollution: Lessons from the Lagos Lagoon

A survey of public knowledge and perceptions about microplastic pollution in Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria found widespread awareness of plastic pollution but limited understanding of microplastics specifically, highlighting the need for targeted public health education.

2021 Research Square (Research Square) 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic waste micro-management towards innovative sustainable living in inspiring art practice

This paper is not directly about microplastic science; it describes a participatory art project in a Malaysian village where artists and communities collaborated to manage plastic waste and raise awareness about plastic pollution through sustainable art practices.

2023 International Journal of Asian Social Science 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Found in Human Embryo

This brief describes an artwork titled 'Microplastics Found in Human Embryo' created to communicate the environmental threat posed by microplastic pollution. The piece uses art to make the invisible visible, helping audiences emotionally engage with scientific findings about microplastic contamination of the human body.

2018 ResearchOnline at James Cook University (James Cook University)