{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,3]],"date-time":"2026-04-03T06:37:11Z","timestamp":1775198231443,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,31]],"date-time":"2025-08-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1756598400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sustainability"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Digital pollution, encompassing energy consumption, e-waste, and the environmental impact of digital technologies, poses a significant and increasingly pressing environmental challenge that has received insufficient research attention. This study explores public perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors related to digital pollution, focusing on both individuals\u2019 willingness to pay for environmentally friendly digital solutions and their actions to reduce digital environmental impact. Through a comprehensive survey of 300 UK participants, we examined the associations between demographic factors, knowledge levels, perceptions, and environmental actions. While traditional demographic factors such as age and income showed no significant correlation with willingness to pay, we found strong positive correlations with the frequency of environmental consideration (r = 0.47), willingness to act (r = 0.42), and perceived importance of digital pollution (r = 0.40). Notably, knowledge of digital pollution was not correlated with willingness to pay, while self-assessed tech-savviness and environmental knowledge had positive correlations with both willingness to pay and actions taken. Based on a robust cluster analysis, we identified four distinct participant groups: \u2019Engaged Eco-Tech Enthusiasts\u2019 (youngest, most tech-savvy, and with the highest willingness to act), \u2018Knowledgeable Traditionalists\u2019 (oldest, highest knowledge scores, and moderate action), \u2018Unengaged Pragmatists\u2019 (lowest engagement), and \u2018Affluent Moderates\u2019 (wealthiest and with moderate engagement). These findings provide valuable insights for developing targeted interventions and communication strategies to address this emerging environmental challenge.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/su17177839","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]],"date-time":"2025-09-02T14:16:55Z","timestamp":1756822615000},"page":"7839","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["From Awareness to Action: A UK-Based Study on Public Perceptions of Digital Pollution"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9891-9397","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zohar","family":"Barnett-Itzhaki","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Ruppin Research Group in Environmental and Social Sustainability, Ruppin Academic Center, Emek Hefer 4025000, Israel"},{"name":"Faculty of Engineering, Ruppin Academic Center, Emek Hefer 4025000, Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-7163-8429","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Arava","family":"Tsoury","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ruppin Research Group in Environmental and Social Sustainability, Ruppin Academic Center, Emek Hefer 4025000, Israel"},{"name":"Faculty of Management & Economics, Ruppin Academic Center, Emek Hefer 4025000, Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Shen, Y., and Zhang, X. 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