On the heels of April conferences in Ottawa, Ontario, to develop a world treaty on plastic air pollution, GlobeScan’s international public opinion analysis reveals that the perceived seriousness of waste within the surroundings from single-use plastics has decreased in some international locations whereas remaining very excessive in others.
Primarily based on a largely consultant on-line survey of practically 30,000 folks throughout 31 international locations and territories, Radar attracts upon GlobeScan’s distinctive database of over 20 years of polling public opinion about folks’s outlook towards societal actors and the problems affecting them. Outcomes present that there’s a giant distinction in concern in international locations reminiscent of Mexico, Brazil, and India — the place folks are inclined to proceed to fee the problem of single-use plastic waste within the surroundings as very critical — in comparison with locations such because the U.S., the U.Okay., Germany, and China, the place individuals are changing into much less fearful in regards to the subject. Simply over one-third of Chinese language respondents consider single-use plastic waste is a really critical subject in comparison with virtually three-quarters of individuals in Mexico and Brazil.
What does this imply?
The lower in concern about single-use plastic waste within the surroundings over the previous few years in a number of international locations is probably going related to folks recognizing that the plastic discount agenda is transferring in the correct path, with single-use plastics bans more and more coming into impact in lots of locations —– usually affecting folks’s day by day lives (e.g., bans on plastic straws and plastic baggage in supermarkets). Nonetheless, concern with single-use plastic waste additionally stays very excessive in lots of international locations, particularly throughout Latin America the place individuals are additionally the probably to say that plastic waste is negatively affecting their very own well being as proven in final week’s Perception of the Week. Regulatory pressures round plastics are more likely to proceed as folks more and more affiliate plastic waste with points relating to their very own well being and well-being and that of their households.
Survey Query: For every of the next attainable international issues, please point out if you happen to see it as a really critical, considerably critical, not very critical, or under no circumstances significant issue: Single-use plastic waste within the surroundings
Supply: GlobeScan Radar Traits Report (survey of 29,565 folks in most people throughout 31 international locations and territories in July‒August 2023)