Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
Portucalense Institute of Human Development & Department of Psychology and Education, Portucalense University, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal.
J Hazard Mater. 2021 Jun 15;412:125227. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125227. Epub 2021 Jan 28.
Nowadays, plastic pollution is considered an issue of global concern. This environmental problem results from human industrial and domestic activities, associated with poor management, from manufacturing processes to products' end life. In this perspective, human consumption and management of daily used plastic materials can play a determinant role to control this environmental issue. Thus, understanding public perceptions about plastic pollution may be a valuable resource to engage society in solutions to reduce its environmental release. In this study, perceptions about plastic pollution, its impacts as well as sociodemographic and psychological factors predicting individuals' pro-environmental behaviours were analysed, in the Portuguese context. Overall, results showed that there is a general knowledge that plastics degrade in the environment. The participants of the study perceived the bio-ecological impacts of plastics as a greater threat than the socioeconomic impacts. A hierarchical regression analyses revealed that sociodemographic variables and those related to knowledge and perceived impacts about plastic pollution can predict participants' pro-environmental behaviours. Awareness about the impacts of plastic pollution (socioeconomic, health impacts and bio-ecological impacts) were highly associated to pro-environmental behaviour. This study data can help to understand how to enhance pro-environmental behaviours and contribute to decrease the presence of micro(nano)plastics in the environment.
如今，塑料污染被认为是一个全球性问题。这个环境问题源于人类工业和家庭活动，与制造过程到产品寿命终结的管理不善有关。从这个角度来看，人类对日常使用的塑料材料的消费和管理可以在控制这一环境问题方面发挥决定性作用。因此，了解公众对塑料污染的看法可能是一种有价值的资源，可以促使社会参与减少其环境释放的解决方案。在这项研究中，我们分析了葡萄牙语环境下，人们对塑料污染及其影响以及预测个人环保行为的社会人口学和心理因素的看法。总的来说，结果表明，人们普遍了解塑料在环境中会降解。研究参与者认为塑料的生物-生态影响比社会经济影响更具威胁。层次回归分析显示，社会人口学变量以及与塑料污染的知识和感知影响相关的变量可以预测参与者的环保行为。对塑料污染影响（社会经济影响、健康影响和生物-生态影响）的认识与环保行为高度相关。这项研究的数据可以帮助我们了解如何增强环保行为，有助于减少环境中微（纳米）塑料的存在。
