Keep plastics on a tight leash: Swedish public opinion on plastic policies

Abstract

The environmental effects of the widespread use and production of plastic have gained attention in recent years. Plastic pollution in marine environments, and limitations to systems of circularity and recycling, are increasingly recognised as serious global problems. Policies and governance around plastic are thus expected to expand in scope. This article examines the Swedish public’s opinions on plastic policies using panel survey data (N = 1069) to answer what kinds of policies and regulations hold public support in Sweden. We find that there is relatively high support among Swedes for a wide range of policies to address the issues of plastics. The greatest approval is found around soft policies e.g., the extension of already established regulations, recycling initiatives, and information campaigns. Regulatory and economic policies, such as taxes, bans, and stricter regulations, enjoy comparatively less support from the public, yet a majority is also supporting such measures. There are significant differences between demographic groups: women and people with a left-wing political orientation feel more positive about regulatory and economic policies than men and people with a right-wing political orientation. The most widely approved policies are those concerning recycling and waste management system developments. In contrast to other policies that involve economic incentives, the expansion of the deposit-refund scheme stands out as a policy with very high support across a wide range of groups. Overall, the widespread support for plastic regulation in Sweden indicates favourable conditions for the implementation of several plastics-related policies that go beyond the present measures.