Green Light for Climate-friendly Food Transitions? Communicating Legal Innovation Increases Consumer Support for Meat Curtailment Policies

• Published in: Environmental communication Vol. 14; no. 8; pp. 1047 - 1060
• Main Authors: Graça, João, Cardoso, Sónia Goulart, Augusto, Fábio Rafael, Nunes, Nádia Carvalho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Routledge 16-11-2020; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Communication; consumer support; Consumption; Diet; Environmental policy; Innovations; Legislation; Meat; Meat consumption; plant-based diets; Policies; Sustainable consumption
• ISSN: 1752-4032; 1752-4040
• DOI: 10.1080/17524032.2020.1764996

In light of increasing calls for environmental policies that reduce meat consumption and promote more plant-based diets (i.e. Meat Curtailment Policies, MCPs), this study aimed to increase knowledge on how consumers may react to these policies. Participants (N = 784) were randomly presented with a small real news piece about an actual law approval referring to a MCP, or assigned to a no-information control condition. The study measured a set of ideological and consumption variables, and support for MCPs. Participants with increased pro-environmental ideology were more positive toward MCPs, whereas participants who endorsed human supremacy beliefs, and who were more attached to meat consumption, were less supportive of MCPs. Despite these associations, reading about the law approval increased participants' support for MCPs irrespectively of individual differences in ideology and consumption. This suggests that communicating legal innovation on the topic may be used to increase support for policies that promote more plant-based diets.