How concerned are Americans about microplastics?

Maybe your aunt sent you a TikTok about the perils of plastic cutting boards, along with a link to buy bamboo replacements on Amazon. Maybe you listened to a podcast that took a deep dive into the astounding prevalence of “microplastics” and what they mean for our planet, and our bodies.

If so, you’re certainly not alone—the zeitgeist late in 2024 has the issue of microplastics under a microscope, and it’s sure to change consumer behavior.

For a snapshot of current attitudes, we turned to Harris QuestDIY to quickly write and deploy a survey to a cross-section of 1,004 Americans*. (The handy AI assistant helped us sharpen our questions and answers.) 

Within hours our results had streamed in, and we were able to glean some key insights as to how consumers are responding to microplastic anxieties. Here’s what we found.

TL;DR

• Awareness of the issue of microplastics and their effects on human health and the environment is fairly widespread, especially among younger Americans. 
• Many are taking concrete steps to avoid microplastic risks, especially in the kitchen, by switching to or purchasing alternative cookware—and they're willing to pay more as a result. 
• A majority also made it clear that they were open or eager for government regulation to deal with the issue, an intriguing finding given the upcoming change in administration.

Setting the table

Media attention on the issue of microplastics has clearly made a difference. 33% of our respondents said they were “very familiar” with the topic, while a further 39% said they’d heard of microplastics but didn’t know that much about them.

Younger Americans were much more likely to be clued-in to microplastics: 51% of 18-to-24 year olds said they were “very familiar,” VS. only 22% of those between 55 and 64. 

*A note on reporting: 27% of our sample had “never heard of” microplastics or were "not sure." and so were eliminated from answering many of the microplastic-focused questions that followed, with the exception of questions re: government regulation of microplastics and specific cookware brands. 

‍This means that for those questions, our original cohort of 1,004 respondents was refined to a group of 731 Americans with some prior knowledge of microplastics. 

What are people worried about?

While microplastics have deleterious effects on both the human body and the natural environment, the public currently seems more concerned with personal exposure. 

62% of those who were familiar with microplastics cited “human health risks” as an impact of microplastics they’ve heard of, followed by “microplastics in drinking water” (61%).

What are they doing about it?

Facing daunting issues of health safety or environmental danger can leave individual consumers feeling helpless: “Just one more thing out of our control to worry about,” lamented one open-end respondent in our survey.

But in the case of microplastics—especially within the context of your home’s kitchen—it does seem that Americans are making conscious efforts to limit their exposures and make different purchasing decisions.

What’s more, they seem open to higher prices if that means the products would be certified microplastic-free, with 21% saying they’d pay up to 20% more, and 12% saying they’d pay more than 20% for such a guarantee.

81% of respondents who expressed familiarity with microplastics either bought new products or stopped using potentially risky ones, whether that means switching to glass or metal options (53%) or throwing out plastic cutting boards (32%).

Consumers under the age of 35 were much more likely to have altered their cooking behaviors as a result of microplastic risk, as opposed to the older generation—only 54% of those over the age of 64 had made any changes in the kitchen. 

What do they want done about it?

A solid 72% of the cohort who were familiar with microplastics want government regulation or action to limit the amount of microplastics in cookware.

Of that sample, 45% were in favor of a straight-up ban on microplastic-containing cookware.

Open-ended survey questions also surfaced calls for regulation as well as criticism of government inattention to microplastics:

• “The government has made it close to impossible [for middle and lower class populations] to make healthy choices due to the high cost of purchasing products that do not include health hazards like microplastics.”
• “I feel like the government doesn’t care enough about protecting the public from food-related health issues.”

These sentiments are striking considering the possible changes within the Department of Health and Human Services that may be enacted by the incoming American administration. 

There’s clearly a desire for more government regulation and input on this issue, so that consumers don’t feel adrift and forced to navigate the science and risk on their own. At the same time, in the absence of such regulation, our respondents made it clear that they were willing to pay a premium for quality products that are certified microplastic-free. 

Two-thirds of the cohort who were familiar with microplastics stated that they’d be okay with higher costs, including 12% who would pay a premium of 20+% for that peace of mind—a helpful takeaway for any brands in the cookware space who are rethinking pricing and messaging.