Perceptions of the Benefits and Barriers to Vegetarian Diets and the Environmental Impact of Meat-Eating
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Public Perceptions of the Environmental Impact of Agriculture
1.2. Perceived Benefits and Barriers to a Vegetarian Diet
1.3. The Present Study
2. Method
2.1. Participants
2.2. Procedure
2.2.1. Demographics
2.2.2. Dietary Behaviour
2.2.3. Perceived Barriers and Benefits of Vegetarian Diets
2.2.4. Beliefs about and Willingness to Perform Pro-Environmental Actions
2.2.5. Attitudes toward Climate Change and Its Relationship with Agriculture
3. Results
3.1. Data Analysis
3.2. Reliability
3.3. Perceived Benefits and Barriers to Vegetarian Diets
3.4. Attitudes toward Climate Change and Its Relationship with Agriculture
3.5. Beliefs in Efficacy and Willingness to Perform Pro-Environmental Actions
3.6. Relationship between Perceived Benefits and Barriers and Meat Consumption
4. Discussion
4.1. Knowledge of Environmental Impact of Meat-Eating
4.2. Perceived Benefits and Barriers to Vegetarianism
4.3. Relationship between Perceived Benefits and Barriers and Meat Consumption
4.4. Beliefs in Efficacy and Willingness to Perform Pro-Environmental Actions
4.5. Strengths and Limitations of the Study
4.6. Future Research
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Variable | Present Study (2019) | Lea and Worsley (2003) |
---|---|---|
Sample size | N = 740 | N = 601 |
Age | M = 39.13; SD = 16.20 19–24 (20.9%), 25–44 (40.1%), 45–64 (27%), 65+ (8.1%) | 15–18 (4.2%), 19–24 (3.8%), 25–44 (40.9%), 45–64 (33.4%), 65+ (21.2%) |
Gender | Female (85.5%), Male (10%), Non-binary (3.9%), Other (0.5%) | Female (56.8%), Male (43.2%) |
Diet | Omnivore (55.5%), Reducetarian (16.8%), Partial vegetarian (7.8%), Vegetarian (10.9%), Vegan (8.9%) | Omnivore (91.3%), Vegetarian (1.5%), Semi-vegetarian (7.2%) |
Ethnicity | British/Irish (60.1%), European (45.8%), South Asian (4.9%), East Asian (4.7%), Middle Eastern (1.4%), Latino/Latina (0.9%), African (0.9%), Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (1.6%), Other (10.8%) | Country of birth Australia (74.2%), Other country (25.8%) |
Education | Year 10 (2.4%), Year 12 (16.1%), TAFE (15.8%), Bachelor’s Degree (35.9%), Postgraduate degree (29.7%) | |
Political Leaning | Very left-wing (25.9%), Left-wing (30.0%), Left-centrist (18.8%), Centrist (14.2%), Right-centrist (6.3%), Right-wing (3.6%), Very right wing (1.2%) | |
Location | Major city (62%), Inner regional (22.2%), Outer regional (13.6%), Remote (1.4%), Very remote (0.7%) |
Item | % Agree | χ2 | p | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lea and Worsley (2003) | Present Study (2019) | |||
I like eating meat | 79 | 74 | 4.73 | 0.030 |
I do not want to change my eating habit or routine | 56 | 58 | 0.36 | 0.547 |
I think humans are meant to eat meat | 44 | 48 | 2.15 | 0.143 |
My family eats meat | 43 | 73 | 127.41 | <0.001 |
I need more information about vegetarian diets | 42 | 41 | 0.12 | 0.734 |
There is too limited a choice when I eat out | 35 | 65 | 115.70 | <0.001 |
My friends eat meat | 32 | 54 | 64.14 | <0.001 |
My family/spouse/partner will not eat vegetarian food | 30 | 46 | 35.15 | <0.001 |
I would be (or am) worried about my health (other than lack of iron or protein) | 28 | 43 | 31.38 | <0.001 |
There is not enough protein in vegetarian diets | 28 | 42 | 29.90 | <0.001 |
I do not know what to eat instead of meat | 21 | 43 | 69.86 | <0.001 |
Vegetarian diets are not filling enough * | 18 | 34 | 43.13 | <0.001 |
Vegetarian options are not available where I shop or in the canteen or at my home * | 14 | 34 | 71.62 | <0.001 |
I do not want people to stereotype me negatively (e.g., that I must be strange) * | 8 | 23 | 55.36 | <0.001 |
People would (or do) think that I am a wimp or not “macho” enough * | 4 | 13 | 32.94 | <0.001 |
Items | % Agree | χ2 | p | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lea and Worsley (2003) | Present Study (2019) | |||
Eat more fruits and vegetables | 74 | 86 | 31.62 | <0.001 |
Decrease saturated fat intake in my diet | 65 | 71 | 5.85 | 0.016 |
Control my weight | 40 | 48 | 9.09 | <0.003 |
Help animal welfare/rights | 36 | 75 | 205.95 | <0.001 |
Prevent disease in general (e.g., heart disease, cancer) | 36 | 63 | 98.09 | <0.001 |
Help reduce greenhouse gas emissions | NA | 71 | NA | NA |
Be healthier by decreasing my intake of chemicals, steroids and antibiotics which are found in meat | 31 | 50 | 50.17 | <0.001 |
Stay healthy | 30 | 65 | 158.55 | <0.001 |
Eat a greater variety of interesting foods | 25 | 51 | 91.24 | <0.001 |
Increase my control over my own health | 23 | 52 | 118.54 | <0.001 |
Help the environment | 22 | 74 | 364.05 | <0.001 |
Save money | 21 | 55 | 160.36 | <0.001 |
Be fit | 21 | 34 | 27.17 | <0.001 |
Have plenty of energy | 20 | 36 | 40.66 | <0.001 |
Increase the efficiency of food production * | 15 | 52 | 196.60 | <0.001 |
Items | Beliefs M (SD) | Willingness M (SD) |
---|---|---|
Eat less meat (50% reduction) | 5.50 (2.73) a | 7.12 (3.27) c |
Stop eating meat | 6.05 (3.08) b | 5.36 (3.75) a |
Avoid food products imported by plane | 6.17 (2.77) b | 6.32 (3.03) b |
Recycle things more | 6.71 (2.78) c | 8.77 (2.10) f |
Use public transport | 6.76 (2.49) c | 6.69 (3.14) bc |
Buy fewer new things | 7.06 (2.76) d | 7.69 (2.61) d |
More energy from renewable sources | 8.31 (2.36) e | 8.45 (2.39) e |
Items | Beliefs M (SD) | Willingness M (SD) |
---|---|---|
Eat less meat (50% reduction) | 5.06 (2.73) a | 6.11 (3.25) b |
Stop eating meat | 5.22 (2.95) a | 3.63 (2.97) a |
Avoid food products imported by plane | 6.00 (2.88) b | 6.16 (3.17) b |
Use public transport | 6.74 (2.54) d | 6.47 (3.24) b |
Recycle things more | 6.78 (2.77) e | 8.64 (2.20) e |
Buy fewer new things | 6.88 (2.85) e | 7.51 (2.75) c |
More energy from renewable sources | 8.14 (2.47) df | 8.21 (2.58) d |
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Rattenbury, A.; Ruby, M.B. Perceptions of the Benefits and Barriers to Vegetarian Diets and the Environmental Impact of Meat-Eating. Sustainability 2023, 15, 15522. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115522
Rattenbury A, Ruby MB. Perceptions of the Benefits and Barriers to Vegetarian Diets and the Environmental Impact of Meat-Eating. Sustainability. 2023; 15(21):15522. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115522
Chicago/Turabian StyleRattenbury, Ashley, and Matthew B. Ruby. 2023. "Perceptions of the Benefits and Barriers to Vegetarian Diets and the Environmental Impact of Meat-Eating" Sustainability 15, no. 21: 15522. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115522