Association of Meat Attachment with Intention to Reduce Meat Consumption Among Young Adults: Moderating Role of Environmental Attitude

Background/Objectives: Sustainability discussions are increasingly highlighting the environmental and health impacts of meat production and consumption. The study aimed to analyze how meat attachment influences the intention to reduce meat consumption among young adults, considering the moderating role of environmental attitude. Methods: An online survey was conducted from 27 April to 1 May 2022, among young Korean adults in their 20s, and 1478 responses were collected. The survey questionnaire assessed the participants’ (1) meat attachment (hedonism, affinity, entitlement, and dependence), (2) environmental attitude, (3) intention to reduce meat consumption, and (4) socio-demographics. Hierarchical multiple regressions were performed to explore the associations between meat attachment and the intention to reduce meat consumption, controlling for the participants’ socio-demographic characteristics. The moderating effect of environmental attitude on the associations was assessed using the PROCESS macro. Results: The results showed that, among the four subscales of meat attachment, affinity (β = 0.103, p < 0.001) and dependence (β = –0.201, p < 0.001) significantly predicted the intention to reduce meat consumption. In contrast, hedonism (β = –0.007, p = 0.831) and entitlement (β = 0.019, p = 0.509) exhibited no significant associations. Additionally, environmental attitude significantly moderated the associations between both affinity (interaction β = 0.135, p = 0.001) and dependence (interaction β = –0.159, p < 0.001) and the intention to reduce meat consumption. Conclusions: Overall, this study suggests that addressing meat dependence and affinity could be crucial for encouraging a reduction in meat consumption. Additionally, raising environmental attitude among younger adults may be needed before encouraging meat reductions. Given the limited research conducted in Asian contexts, this study offers a valuable foundation for the development of future educational interventions targeting sustainability concerns associated with meat consumption.