Gregson, Rebecca and Piazza, Jared and Shaw, Heather (2024) Plant-forward diets and the social cultural milieu. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.
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Abstract
Humanity’s window for climate action is closing rapidly (Tollefson, 2022). Given the ecological footprint associated with animal husbandry, scholars and non-governmental organisations have called for a transition to a more sustainable food system: an increased focused on plant-derived proteins (Clark et al., 2022; Willett et al., 2019). Such a transformation will require the collaboration of many actors both in- and outside of academia (e.g., social scientists, food technologists, businesspeople, and advocates). The field of Psychology has a unique role to play in studying human behaviour and cognition as it pertains to societal eating norms and the acceptance of plant-forward diets. Research of this kind has demonstrated that decisions to forgo animal-derived foods constitute a social eating norm violation and as such ought to be understood against the wider context in which they exist. Indeed, food-related decision-making occurs at various levels of society and food systems – including at the micro- (e.g., an individual’s own attitudes, motivations, and capabilities), meso- (e.g., family roles, relational dynamics) and distal-level (e.g., societal, and cultural norms around food; Boulet et al., 2021). Yet, to the authors knowledge, there is limited psychological literature that has considered these processes as they relate to plant-forward diets, specifically. Accordingly, the current thesis presents a rich exploration into the influence that one’s social-cultural milieu has on their food-related cognitions and decision making as they pertain to plant-forward eating. Study 1 employed smartphone-based experience sampling methodology and engaged in a micro-level analysis, investigating an individual’s commitment to reducing their meat consumption as influences by the experience of social support. In summary, we were unable to demonstrate the facilitative effects of social support in study 1. The results of this study highlighted the need to differentiate between types of social support (incl. structural, functional, and enacted means of support) and prompted a progression of our research focus: a move from studying food decision-making at the micro- to the meso-level. Study 2 and 3 employed a mix of survey and experience-sampling methodology with an elevated focus on the meso-level (i.e., the household), where we considered the influence of one’s primary social units (i.e., family members and romantic partners) on decisions pertaining to plant-forward diets. Here we demonstrated that micro-level food decision-making takes place within the broader context of intra-family negotiations and is subject to the established leadership style and emotional connection of the relationship. Finally, study 4 and 5 considered the intergroup and social-cultural context of plant-forward diets at the distal-level. Specifically, we employed a mix of survey methodology, text, and behaviour analytics to investigate the collective identity and ideological motivations of individuals actively engaged in overt antagonism or opposition towards vegan ideology. Together, this body of research advances current knowledge of the social and cultural milieu of plant-forward by demonstrating how decisions around plant-forward diets depend upon the relational climate of cohabiting units and highlighting the importance of identity and inter-group processes in the wider societal debate about sustainable diets.