What role do climate considerations play in consumption of red meat in Norway?

• Published in: Global environmental change 2022-03, Vol.73, p.102490, Article 102490
• Main Authors: Vatn, Arild, Aasen, Marianne, Thøgersen, John, Dunlap, Riley E., Fisher, Dana R., Hellevik, Ottar, Stern, Paul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal welfare; Change agents; Climate; Decision theory; Diet; Emissions; Emissions control; Food consumption; Greenhouse gas emissions; Greenhouse gases; Habits; Healthy food; Information processing; Meat; Meat consumption; Mental health services; Multivariate statistical analysis; Norms; Social dynamics; Social factors; Social norms; Structural equation modeling; Taxation; Welfare
• ISSN: 0959-3780; 1872-9495
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2022.102490

•Red meat consumption is very habituated in Norway.•The red meat habit is strongly reinforced by pro-meat social norms.•Red meat consumption is quite strongly influenced by beliefs in its wholesomeness.•Climate friendly personal norms influence red meat consumption to some extent.•These norms are rooted partly in social pressure, partly in personal values. Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases is facilitated by changes in several consumption activities, such as food choices. This paper examines factors explaining red meat consumption in Norway, especially the role of climate concerns. The paper adds to our knowledge as most existing analyses of (red) meat consumption focus on health and animal welfare issues. Moreover, it expands our understanding by drawing on perspectives from both institutional and social psychological theory, including variables emphasizing the social dynamics behind consumption decisions. The study is based on data from a survey of 2000 people aged 18 years or older conducted in 2018. The data are analyzed using structural equation modelling. We find that there is a strong pro-meat culture in Norway, currently rather weakly influenced by climate concerns – specifically, personal norms and social pressures focused on reducing climate impacts. Instead, habits, beliefs about the qualities of red meat (being tasteful, nutritious, healthy) and social norms supporting red meat consumption are the three most important factors explaining the variation observed. Gender and income also influence red meat consumption, but less than found in other studies. The paper discusses policy implications of these findings, including for taxation, point-of-sale information and communicative processes to support changes in the perceptions of what could be a new “normal” diet.