This week, world leaders and stakeholders are meeting in Busan, South Korea for the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5). Their goal is to advance efforts toward an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. This initiative, which is part of the UN Plastics Treaty, is a critical step in tackling the escalating global plastic crisis and its far-reaching impacts on public health and the environment.
GlobeScan’s latest global public opinion research reveals that human health impacts is the leading concern for those who view single-use plastic waste as a very serious issue. When asked to select their top concern from a range of negative impacts, 35 percent chose the risks posed by microplastics and harmful chemicals entering our bodies.
Other major concerns include the effects of single-use plastic on animals and biodiversity which is of particular concern in Latin America. In the Global North, people are more focused on the impact of plastics in the ocean, while concerns about climate change are shared evenly across regions. Overall, more than half of those alarmed by single-use plastics associate them most strongly with broader threats to climate and nature.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
GlobeScan’s findings underscore how deeply the public connects single-use plastic with health risks alongside its environmental toll. NGOs might look to broaden their advocacy efforts by framing plastic pollution as both an environmental crisis and a direct threat to human well-being to make the issue feel more personal and urgent, foster stronger public engagement, and spur policy action.
This analysis is based on a representative online survey of over 30,000 people across 31 countries and territories. It draws upon GlobeScan’s extensive Radar global research program which spans more than two decades of public opinion insights on societal challenges and perceptions of key actors.
Survey Question: What are you most concerned about when it comes to single-use plastic? Choose one.
Source: GlobeScan Radar Trends Report (survey of 30,216 people in the general public in July ‒ August 2024)
