Consumers’ perceived barriers to following a plant-based diet

Pohjolainen, Pasi; Vinnari, Markus; Jokinen, Pekka

doi:10.1108/bfj-09-2013-0252

Cited by 161 publications

(149 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…hedonism, affinity, entitlement, and dependence on meat) at the individual and societal levels (e.g., which tools to provide; what contents to deliver, and to who; how to frame communication), to encourage willingness and intentions to change habits. While more research is still needed before this is feasible, it may be a promising path to pursue, integrating evidence also on other drivers and barriers either already found (e.g., Pohjolainen, Vinnari, & Jokinen, 2015;Zur & Kl€ ockner, 2014) or yet to be discovered. Of course, encouraging consumers to choose to eat less meat is just the 'tip of the iceberg' (Spurling, McMeekin, Shove, Southerton, & Welch, 2013).…”

Section: Informing Practice and Policymentioning

confidence: 96%

Attached to meat? (Un)Willingness and intentions to adopt a more plant-based diet

2015

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In response to calls to expand knowledge on consumer willingness to reduce meat consumption and to adopt a more plant-based diet, this work advances the construct of meat attachment and the Meat Attachment Questionnaire (MAQ). The MAQ is a new measure referring to a positive bond towards meat consumption. It was developed and validated through three sequential studies following from an in-depth approach to consumer representations of meat. The construct and initial pool of items were firstly developed drawing on qualitative data from 410 participants in a previous work on consumers' valuation of meat. Afterwards, 1023 participants completed these items and other measures, providing data to assess item selection, factor structure, reliability, convergent and concurrent validity, and predictive ability. Finally, a sample of 318 participants from a different cultural background completed the final version of the MAQ along with other measures to assess measurement invariance, reliability and predictive ability. Across samples, a four-factor solution (i.e., hedonism, affinity, entitlement, and dependence) with 16 items and a second-order global dimension of meat attachment fully met criteria for good model fit. The MAQ subscales and global scale were associated with attitudes towards meat, subjective norm, human supremacy beliefs, eating habits, and dietary identity. They also provided additional explanatory variance above and beyond the core TPB variables (i.e. attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control) in willingness and intentions concerning meat substitution. Overall, the findings point towards the relevance of the MAQ for the study of meat consumption and meat substitution, and lend support to the idea that holding a pattern of attachment towards meat may hinder a shift towards a more plant-based diet.

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Section: Informing Practice and Policymentioning

confidence: 96%

Attached to meat? (Un)Willingness and intentions to adopt a more plant-based diet

2015

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“…In countries where meat is widely available and also relatively cheap, frequent meat eating may become a conventional meal pattern that is intricately linked to one's identity as a consumer, which feels right and does not require further reflection (e.g. Graça, Calheiros, & Oliveira, 2015;Macdiarmid, Douglas, & Campbell, 2016;Pohjolainen, Vinnari, & Jokinen, 2015;Schösler et al, 2014;Vanhonacker, Van Loo, Gellynck, & Verbeke, 2013). For non-vegetarians the influence of identity-based motivation may become salient in situations where they meet vegetarians (Rothgerber, 2014) or miss the meat (Ensaff et al, 2015;.…”

Section: Asymmetry Between Vegetarian and Non-vegetarian Identitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a reduced meat diet: Mindset and motivation of young vegetarians, low, medium and high meat-eaters

Boer¹,

Schösler

Aiking³

2017

Appetite

192

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This study provides insight into differences and similarities in the mindset and motivation of four dietary groups (young self-declared vegetarians, low, medium and high meat-eaters) to support the development of strategies for a general transition to a less meat-based diet. The paper highlights the value of the identity concept for our understanding of both vegetarians and meat eaters. The analysis involves a comparison of the four dietary groups focusing on the strength and the profile of their food-related motivation and their reasons for and against frequent meat eating. To check for the generalizability of the results, the analyses were performed in two samples of adults (aged 18-35) in the Netherlands (native Dutch, n = 357, and second generation Chinese Dutch, n = 350). In both samples, the vegetarians had the same level of food-related motivation as the other groups, but a different motivational profile and distinctive, taste- and animal-welfare related reasons to justify their abstinence from eating meat. The low and medium meat-eaters often considered health a reason to eat meat as well as to moderate meat eating, plus they liked to vary their meals. In these aspects they were different from both the vegetarians and the high meat-eaters. The findings are relevant for (non) governmental organizations that aim to influence dietary choices, as well as for businesses that operate in the market of meat substitutes.

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“…The belief that vegetarianism is beneficial to the environment [43] and the endorsement of biospheric values [31] are strong predictors of a vegetarian diet or the intention to reduce meat respectively. Furthermore, general environmental concern and high awareness of environmental problems increase the support for meat reduction intervention strategies [1,44]. Thirdly, health-related benefits emerge as another important aspect to choosing a vegetarian or plant-based diet [37,39].…”

Section: Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, it also includes so-called "plant-based" diets, which are defined as containing mainly non-meat food. Hence, in contrast to a strict vegetarian diet, a plant-based diet does not preclude the occasional consumption of meat, but only permits it in limited amounts [1,2]. Potential benefits of vegetarianism and plant-based diets are linked to ethical, environmental, and health-related issues.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motivations and Constraints of Meat Avoidance

2018

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Reducing the consumption of meat can make a significant contribution to sustainable development. However, at least in Western societies with their already rather high levels of per-capita meat consumption, only a minority of consumers reduces meat intake by following a vegetarian or plant-based diet. To arrive at a differentiated understanding of the conditions of meat avoidance, we empirically assess the importance of a broad set of specific motivations and constraints previously discussed in the literature, including specific benefits, particular constraints, social norms, and a vegetarian self-identity. The analysis is based on a random sample of students at the university of Zurich (Switzerland)—a social group exhibiting a rather high prevalence of plant-based diets and vegetarianism. Researching this young and educated population sheds light on the motivational underpinnings of consumer segments especially willing to reduce meat intake. Data were collected in November and December 2016. We found that a vegetarian self-identity, both injunctive and descriptive social norms, and convenience are the most important direct determinants of meat avoidance among this young and highly educated consumer segment. Furthermore, the results suggest that a vegetarian self-identity mediates the effects of ethical, health-related, and environmental benefits, taste as a constraint and partially the injunctive norm. Pecuniary costs of a vegetarian diet are not significantly correlated with meat avoidance.

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Consumers’ perceived barriers to following a plant-based diet

Cited by 161 publications

References 68 publications

Attached to meat? (Un)Willingness and intentions to adopt a more plant-based diet

Attached to meat? (Un)Willingness and intentions to adopt a more plant-based diet

Towards a reduced meat diet: Mindset and motivation of young vegetarians, low, medium and high meat-eaters

Motivations and Constraints of Meat Avoidance

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