Lai Amanda Elizabeth, Tirotto Francesca Ausilia, Pagliaro Stefano, Fornara Ferdinando
Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
Department of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
Front Psychol. 2020 Dec 16;11:578582. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.578582. eCollection 2020.
The dramatic increase of meat production in the last decades has proven to be one of the most impacting causes of negative environmental outcomes (e.g., increase of greenhouse emissions, pollution of land and water, and biodiversity loss). In two studies, we aimed to verify the role of key socio-psychological dimensions on meat intake. Study 1 ( = 198) tested the predictive power of an extended version of the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) model on individual food choices in an online supermarket simulation. In an online survey, participants were directed to a virtual shop and asked to buy food within a set amount of money. Subsequently, they completed measures of behavioral intention, the VBN constructs (values, general pro-environmental beliefs, awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, and personal norm), and social norms (injunctive and descriptive). The outcome variable was operationalized in terms of percentage of expenses dedicated to meat and processed meat items, which provided a more robust behavioral measure than the common self-reported ones. Results confirmed the VBN sequential path, showing direct effects of biospheric values and descriptive norm on personal norm. Furthermore, a proof of validity for the new behavioral measure was provided (medium-sized correlation with behavioral intention). Study 2 ( = 218) aimed at verifying whether the meat consumption could be also motivated by a health concern, reflecting individual (cost/benefit) considerations, besides pro-environmental drivers. Results showed the direct impact of health concern and confirmed the indirect role of biospheric values and descriptive norm ( personal norm) on meat intake. This evidence would suggest the use of multiple-frame messages, highlighting both pro-environmental and health consequences, for meat consumption reduction. Nevertheless, the different implications of moral (e.g., environmental concern) vs. non-moral motivators (e.g., health concern) for reducing meat intake need to be stressed: indeed, the first drivers are more central for self-identity and for engaging in environmental citizenship behaviors.
在过去几十年中，肉类产量的急剧增长已被证明是对环境产生负面影响的最主要原因之一（例如，温室气体排放增加、土地和水污染以及生物多样性丧失）。在两项研究中，我们旨在验证关键社会心理维度对肉类摄入量的作用。研究1（n = 198）在在线超市模拟中测试了扩展版价值-信念-规范（VBN）模型对个体食物选择的预测能力。在一项在线调查中，参与者被引导至一个虚拟商店，并被要求在一定金额内购买食物。随后，他们完成了行为意向、VBN结构（价值观、一般亲环境信念、后果意识、责任归因和个人规范）以及社会规范（指令性规范和描述性规范）的测量。结果变量以用于肉类和加工肉类产品的支出百分比来衡量，这提供了一种比常见的自我报告方式更可靠的行为测量方法。结果证实了VBN的顺序路径，表明生物价值观和描述性规范对个人规范有直接影响。此外，还提供了新行为测量方法的有效性证明（与行为意向的中等相关性）。研究2（n = 218）旨在验证除了亲环境驱动因素外，对健康的关注（反映个体的成本/收益考虑）是否也会促使肉类消费。结果显示了对健康的关注的直接影响，并证实了生物价值观和描述性规范（通过个人规范）对肉类摄入量的间接作用。这一证据表明，为了减少肉类消费，可以使用多框架信息，突出亲环境和健康后果。然而，需要强调道德动机（如环境关注）与非道德动机（如健康关注）对减少肉类摄入量的不同影响：事实上，前者对于自我认同和参与环境公民行为更为核心。
