Perceptions of risk and harm from micro & macroplastics
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Perceptions of risk and harm from micro & macroplastics
Sabine Pahl, Professor of Urban and Environmental Psychology
University of Vienna & University of Plymouth
Picture credit: Juan Baztan
SETAC MP in humans and the environment - Seminar 7, 6th April 2021
The plastic system
Macro-, Micro-
Communications
Economic Nanoplastics
sectors
Perceptions &
communications
Society
drive concern
and action
Credit: GRID-Arendal and
Environ- Maphoto/Riccardo Pravettoni
ment http://www.grida.no/resources/6908
Pahl, Richter & Wyles, 2020
3
Microplastics publication trends 1986 - 2019
Zhang et al., 2020, Journal of Hazardous Materials
Also:
• Increase on
MP in food
reporting;
• Comparatively
very little
research using
social &
behavioural
science
perspectives
Perceptions of plastic and human health
5
Plastic in context:
Perceived severity of environmental issues
Representative Australian sample
Marine litter - perceptions of threat
Means & Std Dev
severe threat 5
4
3
2
no threat 1
Marine Appearance of Human health Tourism at the Shipping and
environment the coast coast fishing
Hartley et al., 2018, Marine Pollution Bulletin (general public only, not a
representative sample)
Exploring perceptions
of microbeads in cosmetics
Beauticians Students Environmentalists
First “Oh my god” “seems a bit fake”; “ weird” “Oh my god”; “Oh my
response goodness”
Thoughts “it’s quite “Does it physically harm the fish? [already talked about impact
on general dangerous for the Obviously I know it’s in their stomach but before]
impact world around us does it like poison them or something?”
basically”
Thoughts n/a Concerns about MP in seafood: […]so that was a moment
on human Get digested by animals. (S) for me of just thinking
health And then you eat the animals. (S) that zooplankton, that's the
You're eating those. (S) beginning of the food chain.
Cos you can't afford to eat plastic can (E)
you? (S)
+ Competing issues
Anderson, Grose, Pahl, Thompson & Wyles, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2016
8
Concern about human health
Please no sharing of impacts from marine threats
unpublished data slides https://sophie2020.eu/
N > 13,000
Plastic pollution was rated as the highest Europe + Oz
concern in 13/15 countries and was rated Concern over HH
biggest predictor
second highest for two countries. In those of desire for
more research
two countries chemical/oil pollution was funding
the highest concern predictors
Figure 2: A country breakdown of
mean concern (and 95% CIs) for 16
marine threats - plastic pollution
indicated by circle.
Davison et al., under review
9
Concern about human health / consumer topics
Bundesinstitut für
Risikobewertung (BfR)
Verbrauchermonitor, D
N = 1,019
Germany
Already in 2016 German representative survey, around 60%
were worried about plastic particles in food and drinking
water (reported in SAPEA, 2019)
10
Microplastics experts (N=~75)
How worried, if at all, are you about the current impact of everyday products
made of plastic / microplastics on the natural environment / human health?
Please no sharing of
unpublished data slides
Microplastics experts were
more worried about plastic
Grünzner et al. (2021), unpublished
and microplastic impact on data – preliminary analysis
the natural environment
The higher, the more worry, about
than on human health 1 point on 7-point scale
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and
innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 860720Stocktake of global actions to reduce the flow
of marine plastic and microplastic to the ocean
Pursuant to UNEA Resolution UNEP/EA.4/Res.6 OP 7a:
“Take stock of existing activities and action ……….with the aim Types of actions:
of the long-term elimination of discharge into the oceans” 1) Legislative,
standards, rules;
2) Working with
people;
3) Technology &
Processes;
4) Monitoring &
Analysis
Locations of at least one action (from survey) Snapshot of action
now, non-exhaustive
Analysis: Julie Goodhew, Francesca Tirotto & Sabine Pahl12
Action is related to which type of
Please no sharing of
unpublished data slides
impact or harm?
People from member states and major groups
reported their actions to be related about equally
frequently to a) impact on marine organisms, b)
biodiversity and c) human health and wellbeing
Analysis: Julie Goodhew, Francesca Tirotto & Sabine PahlProcesses of risk perception and communication (selected)
Environmental Risk Perception
“Danger is real, but risk is socially constructed” (Slovic, 1999)
Risk = situation, event, or activity, which may lead to uncertain adverse outcomes
affecting something humans value;
Risk perception = subjective judgement about risk assoc. with situation, event, activity
• Public (non-experts) often have to rely on experts -> trust;
• Experts and non-experts may disagree -> social amplification / social attentuation
Heuristics and biases (public and experts): Slovic (1987): Perception of risk
mental shortcuts, e.g., 2 factors: unknown
- Availability heuristic - is it easy to imagine or recall?
- Overconfidence, e.g., not realising gaps in evidence / knowledge
- Confirmation bias, e.g., search for evidence favours ‘positive’ data dread
- Affect heuristic – the more negative people feel about sth, the higher they think the
risks are and the lower the benefits; specific emotions, e.g., anger, sadness, disgust
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781119241072.ch2
- Slovic, P., Fischhoff, B., Lichtenstein, S., & Roe, F. (1981). Perceived Risk: Psychological Factors and
Social Implications [and Discussion]. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical
and Physical Sciences, 376(1764); https://www.sapea.info/topics/microplastics/15
The power of strong emotions: disgust
Contact, contagion
+ Dead,
sterilised
or
+
Taste test
Rozin et al., 1986, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology16
also
Direct disgust?
Moral disgust?
No data on
(micro-)plastics
and emotions
yet
Rozin et al., 1986, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology17
Example: Communications in the media using highly
emotive stories and visuals
Pollution and male fertility… a new old story, now with plastics
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6871840/plastic-
chemicals-food-packaging-make-penis-smaller/
https://news.sky.com/story/human-penises-are-
shrinking-because-of-pollution-warns-scientist-
12255106
Microplastics and
unborn babies…18
Example: Communications by NGO using highly
emotive stories and visualsCommunicating risks: Principles and challenges
Risk communication = an interactive process of exchange of information and opinion
between individuals, groups and institutions” (NRC, 1989)
“Everybody communicates risk” Bostrom et al., 2018
Classic Shannon-Weaver Model of
Communication: sender, message,
receiver
When is risk communication effective?
• Depends on goal; needs evaluation!
• Different goals: raising awareness, passing on knowledge, ‘changing hearts and minds’, advocacy
• Different levels: individuals, communities, groups, societies
Bostrom et al. (2018);
https://www.sapea.info/topics/microplastics/Science information is typically focused on facts, detail,
complexity, uncertainty - and so it should be!
Disclaimer!
… but that‘s not necessarily
compatible with a broad audience
We need to We need to
tell them all tell them how
the facts bad it is
We‘re not yet sure,
need more researchConcern
Communications Attitudes Options
Identity Habits
Decisions
&
Perceived
Behaviour Emotions
control
e.g., fear, anger, sadness
Pride, joy, empowerment
Values
Social Knowledge
norms „Hard facts“ vs. meaningful
information; how-to knowledge
Pahl, Richter & Wyles, 2020 (variant)Communicating the absence of evidence
Summary
Response
https://www.sapea.info/topics/microplastics/
Forthcoming
Response to
WHO report
response
NMP in air
and foodConclusion
Key messages • High level of public concern about human health effects of plastic • But lack of scientific data on exposure and hazard • Good social and behavioural science insights into risk perception and risk communication principles • Risk is a societal issue between ‘technical’ risk assessment and values, emotions, trust etc. (‘beyond mere facts’) • We need to increase the social evidence base for plastics • We need to understand public concern and behaviour to ensure successful policy actions
Thank you
Bonny Hartley Sophie Davison Kayleigh Wyles Maja Grünzner Julie Goodhew Mathew White Richard Thompson
Acknowledgements: This work was made possible
through funding from GESAMP/IMO, the EU’s H2020
programme, DEFRA, ESRC/NERC and UNEP
https://env-psy.univie.ac.at/
@sabinepahlYou can also read
