Plastic Pollution Survey
Plastic Pollution Survey
While researching and expanding my knowledge on plastic pollution, I began to wonder what those around me knew about it. Are they aware of its negative effects? Do they realize what part they play? I have so many questions that include the public so I decided to create an online survey to get some of my questions answered. I chose to do a mainly open ended survey that consisted of nine questions so that people were free to respond however they felt. I posted the survey to multiple social media platforms in hopes of reaching family, friends, and strangers. My goal was to give them a little wakeup call about plastic pollution and get them thinking on that topic.
When I was reviewing the results from my survey, I learned that many people around me understand how severe plastic pollution is and they are all willing to change their lifestyles to help. They have all heard of solutions, big and small, that can help rid the ocean of plastic.
Who Took the Survey?
25 people completed my survey ages ranging from 17–50. I began my survey with this opening question: “How many plastic straws do you think are used everyday?”. Five of the 25 people did not put much thought into this question as they answered with zero or one and the other 20 put a massive number such as 100000000000000000, which will not even fit into a calculator. The answer to this question is over 175 million plastic straws are used every single day. That means one billion two hundred twenty-five million plastic straws are used every week. This number is absolutely atrocious.
The second question I asked was “On a scale of 1–10, how drastic do you think plastic pollution affects our oceans?” In the responses I received, I learned that everyone was in agreement and understood how plastic pollution drastically affects our oceans. This is important because it means people are aware of the problem.
How does Plastic harm Sea Life?
A very significant question that everyone should take a moment to think about is: In what ways does plastic harm sea life? The most common answers I received were: Sea life can ingest it, making them sick. It takes up space in their home, threatening their everyday lives. They can choke on it, causing them injuries. To sea life, plastic is the devil.
There was a very sentimental video that went viral that was brought up a couple times in response to this question about a turtle having a straw stuck in its nose. This brought a lot of attention towards plastic pollution and animal lovers from all around started taking action. More people need to realize that this happens all the time, every second of every day sea life is harmed. They are living in a toxic world and it is all because of us.
Are People That Took the Survey Willing to do Their Part?
This is when I asked what people taking my survey can do to reduce their use of plastic in everyday life. I was surprised when only one out of the 25 respondents said recycle. I suppose more people realize that their is more to be done than just recycle. Buying reusable containers, bringing own bags to grocery stores, and stopping the use of plastic straws were the majority of the responses.
End Results
After organizing this survey and reviewing the results, I have learned that the general public has the basic knowledge required to start making a change. This means that important information about plastic pollution is being received and the media is doing a good job at raising awareness.
Even though there is still lots to be done and more to learn about ocean pollution, the fact that people are at least educated on the topic says a lot. It has also taught me that many people are willing to reduce their use of plastic and start using more eco-friendly resources and come together to help this cause worth fighting for.
You can take my survey here.
