Our doctoral student Alice Seffen presented an exciting study at this year's congress of the German Nutrition Society (see: https://www.dge.de/va/kongresse/wk60/). In this study, the topic of the scientific congress "Plant-based Nutrition in Focus - Versatile and Sustainable" was examined from a psychological perspective. We investigated why some people are more motivated to reduce meat consumption than others. In particular, it was explored which specific beliefs play a crucial role in the development of this motivation. Results show that attitude (how good do I think reducing meat consumption is?), subjective norm (do others expect me to eat less meat?), and perceived behavioral control (am I capable of eating less meat?) significantly influence the intention to eat less meat. Attitude, especially beliefs regarding health aspects (e.g., "If I reduce my meat consumption, I would lower my risk of cardiovascular disease"), was particularly relevant. Beliefs regarding environmental impacts and animal welfare were less significant.
The study is currently under review. If you have further interest in the study, please contact Alice Seffen, alice.seffen@ukbonn.de.
