From Meatless Mondays to Meatless Sundays: Motivations for Meat Reduction among Vegetarians and Semi-vegetarians Who Mildly or Significantly Reduce Their Meat Intake

摘要

This study explores vegetarians’ and semi-vegetarians’ motives for reducing their meat intake. Participants are categorized as either vegetarians, who remove all meat from their diet, semi-vegetarians, who significantly reduce their meat intake (at least three days a week), or light semi-vegetarians, who mildly reduce their meat intake (once or twice a week). The results show that most differences appear between vegetarians and both groups of semi-vegetarians. Animal rights and ecological concerns, together with taste preferences, predict a vegetarian diet, while an increase in health motives increases the odds of being semi-vegetarian. Yet, the choice between a semi-vegetarian and a light semi-vegetarian diet can also be predicted based on animal rights concerns and taste preferences. To conclude, even within each diet group, subgroups with different motives appear, and it is recommended that future researchers pay more attention to these differences.