Is Eating Less Meat Possible? Exploring the Willingness to Reduce Meat Consumption among Millennials Working in Polish Cities

Abstract

Reducing the consumption of meat constitutes an important part of the global shift towards more sustainable food systems. At the same time, meat is firmly established in the food culture of most human beings, and better understanding of individual behaviors is essential to facilitate a durable change in contemporary eating patterns. To determine the level and nature of attachment to meat among consumers, the Meat Attachment Questionnaire (MAQ) in relation to the phases of behaviour change in the meat consumption reduction process was utilised. Data collected through a survey carried out among Poles aged 25-40 years living in cities were analysed with the use of Spearman's correlations and one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post-hoc tests. The biggest share of the studied group of millennials (N = 317) never considered reducing their meat consumption (Phase 1-41%) and was described by the highest level of MAQ score in all its categories: hedonism, affinity, dependence, and entitlement. More than half of the respondents in Phase 2 participants ("planners") declared a willingness to cut down meat consumption but had not yet put their intentions into practice. Respondents qualified in Phase 3 declared the highest willingness to reduce meat consumption and were significantly less attached to meat regarding all MAQ categories than respondents in Phase 1. The 9% of the study participants (Phase 4) had already limited the frequency of their meat consumption to "several times a week", this however still remains insufficient compared to the ambitious goals of sustainable healthy diets. Results indicated that meat attachment categories, especially hedonism and dependence, were identified as predictors of willingness to reduce meat consumption. Research exploring the determinants of change and possibilities of effective communication about meat reduction on an individual level in different cultural settings are needed.

Keywords: behaviour change phases; meat attachment; meat consumption; sustainable diet.

Figure 1

Meat Products Index distribution among respondents in phases of change in meat consumption. M—mean, Mdn—median. The values with different superscripts indicate significant differences in Tukey’s post-hoc test results (p < 0.001). Designation of frequency scale: 5—several times a day, 4—once a day, 3—several times a week, 2—once a week, 1—1 to 3 times a month.

Figure 2

Willingness to limit meat in the diet depending on phase of change in meat consumption.

Figure 3

Phases and Meat Attachment Questionnaire (MAQ) results (5-point Likert scale: definitely not (1)—definitely yes (5) for total MAQ and individual categories; The values with the same superscript letters in a total and individual MAQ categories are significantly different in Tukey’s post-hoc test results (p < 0.001).