Abstract
Excess meat consumption, particularly of red and processed meats, is associated with nutritional and environmental health harms. While only a small portion of the population is vegetarian, surveys suggest many Americans may be reducing their meat consumption. To inform education campaigns, more information is needed about attitudes, perceptions, behaviours and foods eaten in meatless meals. A web-based survey administered in April 2015 assessed meat reduction behaviours, attitudes, what respondents ate in meatless meals and sociodemographic characteristics. Nationally representative, web-based survey in the USA. US adults (n 1112) selected from GfK Knowledgeworks' 50 000-member online panel. Survey weights were used to assure representativeness. Two-thirds reported reducing meat consumption in at least one category over three years, with reductions of red and processed meat most frequent. The most common reasons for reduction were cost and health; environment and animal welfare lagged. Non-meat reducers commonly agreed with statements suggesting that meat was healthy and 'belonged' in the diet. Vegetables were most often consumed 'always' in meatless meals, but cheese/dairy was also common. Reported meat reduction was most common among those aged 45-59 years and among those with lower incomes. The public and environmental health benefits of reducing meat consumption create a need for campaigns to raise awareness and contribute to motivation for change. These findings provide rich information to guide intervention development, both for the USA and other high-income countries that consume meat in high quantities.
Highlights
We considered three variable groups for inclusion: demographics, meat consumption frequency and foods eaten in meatless meals
Sixty-six per cent of survey participants described themselves as having reduced their consumption in at least one meat category compared with three years ago. We characterized these individuals for further analyses as ‘meat reducers’ even if they increased or maintained consumption of other meat types
Non-meat reducers were asked to rank their level of agreement on a 7-point scale with eight statements about eating less meat, Meat consumption frequency Table 2 describes meat consumption and reduction patterns
Summary
A web-based survey instrument was developed using both new questions and questions adapted from sources including the National Public Radio/Thompson Reuters and FGI Research surveys mentioned above[17,19]. The survey was fielded in April 2015 using the research firm, GfK Knowledgeworks. GfK maintains an online panel of approximately 50 000 members recruited using equalprobability address-based sampling. GfK provides Internet access and devices to those who lack them, and oversamples census blocks with high percentages of African-American and Hispanic residents. GfK panel members are eligible for modest cash and prize drawings not linked to participation in specific surveys. In addition to pre-survey weighting to reflect annually updated benchmark US population distributions, GfK provides post-survey sample weights based on seven variables to correct for sampling and non-response biases
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