The meat shoppers were seen as less moral, health-conscious, and environmental than plant-based shoppers, and provoked less envy and admiration. But participants felt more fear, anger, and contempt towards plant-based shoppers, and were more inclined to think about actively harming them, such as by insulting or bullying them.

More details on the design of the study and where it was conducted.

Researchers from the University of Vaasa in Finland recruited 3,600 participants from four European countries. The participants evaluated fictitious consumers based on three shopping lists containing varying combinations of meat products and plant-based alternatives. The researchers compared the participants’ “stereotypical beliefs, emotional responses, and behavioral treatment tendencies” of shoppers based on their purchases.

We conducted data collection in summer 2021 in Finland, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Sweden. The countries were chosen for the following reasons. Finland represents a small but open-minded market for food innovations (EIT Food, 2021). Sweden is also a small market, but Swedish consumers see meat alternatives as unnatural and costly, so the population can be considered slightly reserved toward such kinds of food innovation (Spendrup & Hovmalm, 2022). Germany is a large market and considered the main EU market for meat alternatives (Statista, 2022). In the UK, consumers are generally receptive to meat alternatives, and the market is mature and large (Statista, 2022).