Meaty arguments and fishy effects: Field experimental evidence on the impact of reasons to reduce meat consumption

Abstract

We report evidence from a field experiment (N=561) on how different reasons for reducing the consumption of red meat (health, climate and animal welfare) impact intentions to change behavior, the consumption of red meat and the enjoyment of meals. Surprisingly, the three concepts are not aligned. On average, two treatments affect intentions to reduce meat consumption, only one affects behavior, while all affect enjoyment of meals containing red meat. This contributes to the emerging discussion of the welfare effects of nudging. We find that behavioral changes are driven by our female participants eating in company. This confirms the importance of the social environment both in explaining gender differences and the channels by which nudges affect behavior.