Survey: 16% of residents responsible for 100% of litter in Gulfport

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - According to a survey conducted by One CLEAN Gulfport, early results from their 2023 Gulfport Litter Survey suggests that a small group of the city’s residents are to blame for all of the city’s litter.

Preliminary data currently shows that 84% of Gulfport residents say they’ve “never littered,” 81% say they’ve seen someone litter in the past year and only 4% know of someone who was fined for littering.

“16% of residents are causing 100% of the litter problem, based on the data we’ve collected,” said Dr. Debra Hilgeman, President of OCG.

Hilgeman also points out numbers that suggest perhaps accountability is an issue.

“Survey data shows that the majority of people do not report litter when they see it happen,” she said. “The reasons for not reporting litter are that people don’t know how to report it, they’re afraid to risk a confrontation, they don’t care or they don’t thin anything will be done.”

Analysis of the data collected from the survey will help direct efforts in preventing litter and shape program implementation.

Those who would like to take the survey can find it by clicking here.

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