The Beef About Meat: Understanding Meat Avoidance in Sweden

Abstract: Despite a constant sustainability debate and an extended product portfolio of meat substitutes, avoiding meat is not an obvious choice in Sweden. Therefore, a study aimed to investigate what drives the intention to avoid meat was conducted. Factors derived from the social identity theory (SIT), the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), gender stereotypes, and human supremacy were compared between two groups: consumers with a weak intention to avoid meat and consumers with a strong intention. The findings suggested that factors within the SIT, the TPB, and human supremacy can explain the intention to avoid meat. Surprisingly, the results showed no significance between gender stereotypes and levels of meat avoidance intentions, contradicting previous research results. Furthermore, findings indicated that consumers were not as affected by their social surroundings, as previously suggested. Instead, the empirical data implied that intentions were mainly affected by self-centred factors, such as one's self-expression and personal attitudes.