Intransigent compassion: Human and non-human animal self-similarity and meat avoidance intent dataset

Abstract

The dataset provided with this article is related to “Lowering Barriers to Plant-based Diets: The Effect of Human and Non-Human Animal Self-Similarity on Meat Avoidance Intent and Sensory Food Satisfaction” [1] . The connection between compassion and adherence to plant-based diets is intuitive. The first dataset is a sample of 372 participants in the United States that was collected online. Trait compassion, measured using the Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale [2] , is positively associated with intent to avoid dietary meat consumption. The second set of data, collected online from 131 participants in the United States, provides evidence for the underlying psychological process: the relationship between trait compassion and meat avoidance intent is serially mediated by perceived similarity to other human animals and non-human animals. Similarity scores were measured inversely as perceived distance using heat-map type questionnaire items based on inclusion-of-other-in-the-self (IOS, [3] ) and relational closeness scales [4] . Demographic information, physical characteristics, and measurement of athletic identity are provided [5] . These data can be used in psychology research on food studies specifically and to glean more insight on human's connection with other animals in general [6] , [7] . The supplementary data on participants’ physical characteristics such as BMI, combined with measurement of athletic identity, can inform sports and nutrition science. Survey print-outs, two datasets including scale items, and scripts for analysis are provided.

Replication dataset: the effect of compassion, biological sex, and gender identity threat on jerky choice

“… Aside from providing a subsample to replicate the effect found in the original study [5] , the entire dataset, collected from 1350 participants, provides additional information on psychological individual difference variables (e.g., trait compassion [6] ), meat avoidance intent, social identity based on diet, and dietary pattern adherence [7] , [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] from a large sample of the US population. Combined with demographic information, these data can provide insight on dietary protein choices, which have implications for environmental, societal, and individual health.…”

“…This outcome suggests that the formation and the processing of meat attitudes depend on life stage, and it points to additional avenues for research in the fields of nutrition, social psychology, marketing, and consumer behavior. Additional variables in the dataset (e.g., items of the composite trait compassion variable, meat avoidance intent, social identity based on diet, and dietary pattern adherence [7] , [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] ) may be used to develop and/or test hypotheses relating to meat attitudes and food-related choice behaviors. A print-out of the survey instrument, the dataset including scale items, and a script to perform the analysis are provided.…”