Climate change is not one of the top priorities of Scots. And yet, in polling we carried out this year with Diffley Partnership nine in ten people perceive litter as a national issue. Following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s clear that the links are not being made between our consumption of stuff, the natural resources needed to create the products we ‘want’ but probably don’t ‘need’ and the excess waste we produce and litter that is generated. Scott Edgar, Senior Research Manager with Diffley Partnership writes here about the profile litter has in the public mind and suggests our narrative around climate change needs to change if people are to understand the connections between what people complain about and what their priorities are.
Over the past year, Diffley Partnership has been proud to work with Keep Scotland Beautiful on a range of research projects aimed at understanding and tackling Scotland’s litter problem. Through surveys and focus groups we’ve explored perceptions of litter, attitudes toward its impacts, and support for potential solutions. The findings paint a stark picture of the public’s perception of the scale of the issue but also reveal a strong public appetite for meaningful action.
Scottish Litter Survey 2024: A National Perspective
In November, we published the 2024 Scottish Litter Survey, the fourth annual report in the series with fieldwork taking place in August 2024.
As part of our Understanding Scotland series, this survey has tracked public perceptions of litter since 2021. This year’s findings remain as stark as ever: nine in ten Scots continue perceive litter as a national issue, and seven in ten see it as a problem in their local area. These concerns are felt most deeply in Scotland’s least affluent communities and urban areas.
The types of litter Scots encounter are also telling. Single use vapes remain the fastest growing litter item, while food containers, wrappers, plastic drink bottles, and packaging are among the most commonly reported. These findings highlight the need for targeted action to address specific sources of waste that are increasingly contributing to Scotland’s litter crisis.
Public Support for Extended Producer Responsibility
In May, we explored public attitudes toward Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) in the Understanding Scotland survey series. This approach, which shifts financial responsibility for managing packaging waste onto producers, garnered strong public support:
- 71% agree producers should bear financial responsibility for waste management.
- 67% believe producers should cover cleanup costs.
- 69% back producer funded initiatives to change behaviours and prevent waste.
The concept of pEPR also featured in focus groups on marine litter, where participants recognised its potential to promote sustainable product design, reduce waste, and ensure producers, rather than taxpayers, bear the cost. These discussions further highlighted public enthusiasm for measures that reduce single-use plastics, improve infrastructure, and promote environmental education.
Marine Litter: A Growing Concern
In the focus groups on marine litter carried out in March 2024, participants expressed alarm at the environmental consequences, including harm to wildlife, ecological degradation, and health risks. There was also frustration with the normalisation of litter in some coastal areas, as one participant put it:
"I couldn't believe it. These beautiful places were covered in plastic."
Effective strategies identified in these discussions included deposit return schemes, reducing single-use plastics, corporate accountability, and enhanced public awareness. Together, these reflect the public’s readiness to support a variety of approaches to tackle marine litter.
Roadside Litter: A Persistent Challenge
The 2024 Scottish Litter Survey also delved into roadside litter, a topic explored further in focus groups held on the issue specifically on the A9 held in September 2024. Nine in ten (88%) Scots see roadside litter as a problem, with 91% agreeing it creates a negative impression of Scotland. Only 11% believe enough is being done to address it, underscoring public frustration with the lack of action on this issue. Participants in focus groups voiced a strong desire for more effective interventions to reduce roadside litter and its impact on wildlife, the environment and perceptions of Scotland by visitors.
The Bigger Picture
Cumulatively, our findings reflect a public that not only recognises the problem of litter but is eager for change. An overwhelming majority (82%) want to see more efforts to prevent litter, while 81% want more action to clean it up.
However, our November 2024 Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker, produced in partnership with the David Hume Institute, revealed that climate change is not among the top priorities of Scots, with only 11% ranking it among the top three issues facing Scotland.
This highlights the need to better link environment and climate change with the litter emergency to raise its profile given the high degree of concern and support for litter interventions. Scotland’s public is ready to see change and will be eager to see how it is delivered.
Scott Edgar is Senior Research Manager at the Diffley Partnership. Scott joined the Diffley Partnership in 2022 following previous roles in social research at the Electoral Commission and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Since joining the business he has managed a wide range of research projects including two of Diffley Partnership’s regular surveys in Understanding Scotland (a quarterly survey of 2,000 members of the public in Scotland) and Understanding Business (a quarterly survey of 500 businesses in Scotland).
He has significant expertise in statistical data analysis, research design, management of research projects and communication and has worked on several high profile and high impact research studies over the course of his career. He holds a MSc in Political Research from the University of Strathclyde.
Scott has worked with Keep Scotland Beautiful for a number of years including on the Scottish Litter Survey and commissions focusing on marine litter, roadside litter and sport and climate action.
