What a survey revealed about Wichita attitudes toward a city-wide plastic bag ban
A survey conducted on behalf of a Wichita government task force found that most respondents supported either a city-wide ban of single-use plastic bags or a fee to discourage their use. The survey was conducted to help task force members gauge citizen interest in measures that would reduce or ban plastic bag use and was developed by researchers at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita.
With just over 2,000 responses, the survey has limitations.
However, of the Wichitans who did respond to it, 71% said they would support a complete ban on single-use plastic bags.
“We were surprised with how overwhelming the results were,” said Kelly Johnston, a community representative and attorney on the task force. “Even though it’s not representative, we thought it was significant that the findings were in favor of some measure regarding plastic bags.”
The Wichita Single-Use Plastic Bag Task Force was created in February 2020 by the Wichita City Council to look at the possibility of banning plastic bags. Kansas is among 25 states and U.S. territories that have not passed legislation on plastic bag use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Currently, 12 states and several cities, such as Boulder, Colorado, have passed a ban or tax on single-use plastic bags.
Survey limitations
The survey asked respondents questions about themselves, such as their age and salary, to see if their responses were representative of Wichita.
“It was not a representative sample and that was a limitation,” said Dr. Elizabeth Ablah, a professor of population health and the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita, who oversaw the study.
The study had far more Caucasian and female voices than Wichita has, and the race and ethnicity factors did not line up. Other demographics, such as age, salary, and education level, were far more representative of Wichita as a whole, according to Ablah.
Since the survey not being representative of Wichita, the data can not be generalized, Ablah said. However, the fact that there was a clear majority that favored a strategy to reduce single-use plastic bags shows a consensus stronger than Ablah had anticipated.
“It’s still data and we didn’t have it before,” Johnston said. “I think it’s important for people to make sure that this isn’t a fringe element advocating this change, but it may indeed represent a significant majority of Wichitans.”
The top of the survey reads “My capstone project is designed to reduce plastic bag use in Wichita,” which could be a problem, according to Dr. Michael Smith, chair of the Emporia State social sciences department, who regularly works with similar political studies and phrasing of questions.
“In the intro, the surveyor may be biasing the survey by disclosing this,” Smith said in an email.
The phrasing was a shortcut and did not accurately represent the scoop of the project, which was to identify potential reduction strategies for single-use plastics and the attitudes surrounding those strategies, according to Ablah. While the phrasing was a shortcut, she said she didn’t think it would have any negative effects on those who took the survey.
The survey was approved by the KU Institutional Review Board, an academic institution that approves this type of research after assessing the study’s value and whether it will pose any harm to participants.
Survey results
While most respondents said they supported a ban, an additional 67% said that they would be okay with a $0.05 tax or fee, and more than half said they would agree to a $0.10 tax or fee.
Additionally, younger Wichita respondents were more likely to agree with action on banning or an additional fee. Those 18-24 were between 48% and 77% more likely than their elders to agree to a $0.05 tax.
“The younger population were reporting more environmentally conscious beliefs and attitudes about their own behavior,” Ablah said.
Wichita respondents who made higher salaries were more likely to support additional fees or taxes on plastic bags, while those with higher educations were more likely to support a ban.
Next steps for task force
Currently, the task force is doing a series of presentations at Wichita District Advisory Board meetings about the survey findings, as they rally volunteers to assist with their next project, a litter study which they hope will be able to indicate how much of Wichita’s litter is plastic bags.
“Once we get the litter study results, we’re going to try to do a workshop at the end of October, so that we can come to the City Council with a proposed ordinance they can adopt and put in place, however far out,” said Lori Lawrence, a task force committee member.
Those interested in participating in the litter study can fill out a volunteer interest form on Wichita State University’s website. Updates about the city of Wichita’s Plastic Bag Taskforce can be found on the website www.bagfreewichita.com or the Bag Free Wichita Facebook page.
“If people have feelings on this, they need to contact not only their City Council member but everybody and let them know that they want to see something changed, because that’s what’s really going to have an impact,” Lawrence added. “If they can email the entire City Council, plus some staff, do so at dlcitycouncilmembers@wichita.gov.”
This story was originally published May 17, 2021 at 4:43 AM with the headline "What a survey revealed about Wichita attitudes toward a city-wide plastic bag ban."
