The role of moral disengagement and animal empathy in the meat paradox

Abstract

Current levels of meat consumption are environmentally unsustainable and cause suffering to billions of animals each year. Researchers have sought to understand the psychological mechanisms driving people's meat consumption. Research suggests that having empathy towards animals may reduce a person's meat consumption, however, an empathic response does not always result in action (The “meat paradox”). It may be that some people ‘disengage’ from their animal related morality when consuming meat. The current study aimed to test whether moral disengagement mediated the relationship between animal empathy and meat consumption. A total of 302 participants (18 to 70 years, 55.3% female) completed the Animal Empathy Scale, Moral Disengagement in Meat Questionnaire, and the Meat Consumption Scale. Results supported the mediation model, whereby high empathy for animals appeared to reduce one's capacity to disengage with their morality, resulting in lower meat consumption. This study was the first to investigate the dual role of animal empathy and moral disengagement in meat consumption. We conclude that moral disengagement is a possible explanation for the meat paradox.