Getting to the meat of it: investigating meat consumption, meat reduction and the potential for pro-environmental behavioural spillover

The production of livestock for meat and dairy consumption has significant negative impacts on the environment and is a major contributing factor to climate change. Moreover, red and processed meat consumption is associated with various negative health outcomes, including an increased risk of contracting various non-communicable diseases. Against this background, this thesis aimed to investigate the different factors associated with meat consumption and meat reduction, as well as people’s awareness of the negative impacts of meat on the environment (chapters 4 and 5). Following from this, this thesis aimed to test the effectiveness of a randomised messaging intervention on reducing red and processed meat consumption, and to investigate what foods might be used by participants as meat replacements (chapter 6). Finally, this thesis aimed to investigate whether a reduced red and processed meat consumption might lead to a greater willingness to perform other untargeted pro-environmental behaviours, through positive behavioural spillover (chapter 7). This was achieved using a sequential qualitative-quantitative mixed-methods design, including qualitative interviews, as well as quantitative surveys and food diaries, with different participant samples. Chapter 4 showed that habit, taste, concern for health, and social norms, played an important role in motivating meat consumption. While animal welfare was the main motive for vegetarian and vegan diets, health was the main motive for meat reduction among meat-eating participants. Awareness of the environmental impacts of meat was low among meat-eating participants and higher among vegan and vegetarian participants. Chapter 5 showed that although many participants had not previously considered reducing their red and processed meat consumption, they were not reluctant to do so. Participants’ intentions and readiness to reduce their consumption was associated with positive attitudes and a strong perceived social pressure towards reducing their red and processed meat intake, as well as high self-efficacy and perceptions that a reduced meat consumption be beneficial, with few perceived barriers. Chapter 6 showed that providing information on the environmental and health impacts of meat was effective in reducing participants’ red and processed meat consumption, with some effects lasting one month later. However, the results did not shed any light on the types of foods used to replace red and processed meat. Chapter 7 did not show any conclusive evidence of positive behavioural spillover. However, there was also no evidence of negative spillover, meaning the intervention presented in chapter 6 successfully reduced participants’ red and processed meat consumption without inadvertently increasing negative environmental impact, for example through moral licencing or contribution ethic effects. Overall, this thesis contributes to a greater understanding of the motives driving meat consumption and meat reduction. In addition to contributing to the emerging literature on these topics, the findings have direct applications for the development of strategies aimed at encouraging a reduced meat consumption, to mitigate rising greenhouse gas emissions whilst also benefitting people’s healt