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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Media Issue Crystallization: The Case of Microplastic in Denmark
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.
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.
An environmental problem in the making: how media logic molds scientific uncertainty in the production of news about artificial turf in Sweden
Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 journalists, editors, public officials, politicians, industry representatives, and experts in Sweden to examine how media logic shapes news coverage of artificial turf as a microplastic pollutant, finding that media framing conventions drive interpretations of scientific uncertainty and amplify the issue as an environmental problem.
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.
A Risky Object? How Microplastics Are Represented in the German Media
Analysis of German print media coverage of microplastics from 2012 to 2019 found a shift from framing microplastics as a distant marine problem to a personal health risk, with the discovery of microplastics in human bodies driving increased alarm and calls for precautionary regulatory action.
Framing for action? Assessing microplastic-related threat potential for planetary health as a political participation catalyzer
This study analyzed how microplastic-related threats to planetary health are communicated as a political issue, finding that framing microplastics as a systemic health risk increases public concern and may serve as a catalyst for environmental policy action.
Pro-Environmental Behaviour of Two Norway's Mainstream Mass Media
Researchers analyzed how two mainstream Norwegian mass media outlets address plastic waste issues in the Nordic region, examining their pro-environmental framing, stakeholder engagement strategies, and the constraints they face in driving government, NGO, and public action on plastic waste management.
Constitutive and Material: An Empirical Analysis of the Two Dimensions of the Communication on Microplastics in Japanese Journals
This study analyzed how microplastic communication has been framed in Japanese academic journals, examining both content and material dimensions of how science about plastic pollution is produced and shared. The research provides insight into how public understanding of microplastics developed in Japan as a scientific and social concern.
How Are Microplastics Represented in the Korean Media? : An Analysis Based on Reporting Periods, Political Inclinations and Uncertainty
An analysis of 514 South Korean news articles about microplastics from 2018 to 2023 found that media coverage focused heavily on health and environmental risks while rarely acknowledging the scientific uncertainty that still surrounds microplastic hazards. Coverage shifted after a 2021 government anti-plastics policy announcement, moving from problem-framing toward response-framing, with progressive outlets emphasizing regulation and conservative outlets emphasizing research and technology. The study warns that consistent omission of uncertainty in media reporting may suppress public scientific debate and lead to poorly calibrated risk perceptions.
Motives of Environmental Coverages by North European Mass Media: The Role of Three Nordic Countries on Combating Plastic Waste
This study examines why Nordic mass media (Norway, Denmark, Sweden) give strong coverage to environmental issues including plastic waste, finding that geographic proximity to the sea and economic dependence on marine resources motivate media attention, which in turn influences government environmental policy. The paper focuses on media sociology and environmental communication with no direct relevance to microplastic research.
Media coverage, attention cycles and the governance of plastics pollution
This study analyzes how media coverage and public attention cycles affect governance responses to plastics pollution. Researchers found that heightened media attention has increased public engagement with plastics issues, but the coherence and durability of public pressure remains questionable. The study suggests that policymakers can leverage attention peaks to initiate longer-term reforms, and that reframing plastics as an economic and health issue may help sustain public concern.
Navigating regulatory complexity: Challenges and shifting problem framings in turning microplastics into a European policy object
This paper analyzed the regulatory challenges posed by micro- and nanoplastics, examining how ambiguous definitions and material heterogeneity have made it difficult for policymakers to establish stable regulatory frameworks. The study traced how problem framing has shifted in policy debates and identified key obstacles to effective governance of plastic particle pollution.
Navigating regulatory complexity: Challenges and shifting problem framings in turning microplastics into a European policy object
This paper analyzed the challenges regulators face in governing micro- and nanoplastics, examining how shifting problem framings, ambiguous definitions, and material heterogeneity have destabilized regulatory efforts. The study traced how disputes over whether microplastics are a safety or environmental issue have complicated the development of coherent international regulatory frameworks.
What does the public think about microplastics? Insights from an empirical analysis of mental models elicited through free associations
Researchers surveyed 2,720 Norwegians and found that the public primarily associates microplastics with ocean pollution and harm to animals, while awareness of microplastic sources and potential solutions remains low, with responses varying by age, gender, education, and personal values.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.