A recent survey has found that 71 percent of people in the Netherlands agree that the Dutch government should introduce a ban on single-use plastics.

Significant international support for measures against single-use plastic

The poll, conducted by research agency Ipsos on behalf of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), has found that an average of 75 percent of people around the world would like to see single-use plastics banned as soon as possible. “These results make it very clear that there is a strong consensus globally that single-use plastics should be taken out of circulation as quickly as possible,” Ipsos Australia director Stuart Clark said.

As part of the "Attitudes towards single-use plastic" report, Ipsos surveyed people across 28 countries around the world, including the UK, the US, and China. Researchers found that Latin American countries, Russia, India, and China showed the most enthusiasm for a single-use plastic ban. 

The report also covered the issue of an international treaty to combat plastic pollution, and how much effort people put into trying to avoid single-use plastic packaging. Across the 28 countries featured in the study, an average of 65 percent of respondents agreed an international treaty was essential or very important, with residents of Mexico and Peru showing the most support for the measure.

Three-quarters of Dutch citizens support single-use plastic ban

Ipsos found that, in comparison to other countries, Dutch citizens showed fairly little support for measures against single-use plastic. While 71 percent of respondents agreed a ban should be introduced as soon as possible, this figure was one of the eighth-lowest included in the report, with the populations of Colombia (89 percent), Australia (77 percent), and Germany (73 percent) all showing more support for the measure. 

Furthermore, only 73 percent of respondents from the Netherlands (strongly) agreed with the statement “I want to buy products which use as little plastic packaging as possible” - only the US and Japan reported lower percentages (71 percent and 56 percent respectively). 

Finally, 57 percent of people in the Netherlands indicated that “an internationally binding treaty to combat plastic pollution” was either essential or very important.