Voters Express Concern About Plastic Pollution, Strongly Support Mitigation Proposals
Grace Adcox & Kevin Hanley | March 27, 2023 | Data for Progress
Recent polling conducted by Data for Progress demonstrates that likely voters are concerned about plastic pollution and its impact on our environment and oceans, and feel as though they are doing what they can do individually to combat pollution. However, voters believe that the plastics industry has the greatest responsibility and the most opportunity to combat plastic pollution, but lack confidence that the industry will enact change without standards for accountability. Consequently, we find strong support for a variety of measures that would reduce plastic pollution.
Concerns Around Plastic Pollution
More than three-quarters of voters (78 percent) report being “somewhat concerned” or “very concerned” about the impact of plastic pollution on the environment and our oceans. Democratic voters (87 percent) are more likely to report being concerned about plastic pollution than Independent (81 percent) or Republican voters (68 percent), yet strong concerns persist across partisanship.
Many respondents report they are doing what they can to cut down on their personal plastic waste. In particular, 70 percent of voters report they recycle household products, while 62 percent report they reduce their usage of plastic bags, bottles, and containers.
Indeed, voters think that actors throughout society share some responsibility for addressing plastic pollution. When asked about the responsibility that different stakeholders have to manage plastic pollution, 65 percent of voters say the plastics industry has “a lot of responsibility,” in contrast with the recycling industry and the federal government, which are seen as having a lot of responsibility by 52 percent and 49 percent of voters, respectively. Forty-one percent of voters also say that both they themselves and their communities have a lot of responsibility to address plastic pollution.
However, most voters think individuals and their personal actions are not principally responsible for plastic pollution — but rather the responsibility lies with the plastics industry. When asked who could have the most impact in addressing plastic pollution, a plurality of voters (41 percent) choose the plastics industry, followed by 18 percent who select the federal government and 13 percent who select the recycling industry.
Despite this belief that the plastics industry could have the greatest impact on pollution, there is a general lack of trust that industries will take action without accountability. Sixty percent of respondents — including half of Republicans — have little to no confidence in major industries and manufacturers to address plastic pollution without government enforcement.
