(Dis)Entitlement to Eat Meat as a Barrier and Opportunity to Reduce Meat Consumption: The Role of Self-Construal
(A2025-126427)

AUTHORS

Sezin Ekinci, University of Amsterdam Business School; Sadaf Mokarram Dorri, University of Amsterdam; Carina Thuerridl, University of Amsterdam; Willemijn Van Dolen, University of Amsterdam

ABSTRACT

Global meat consumption is on the rise, exacerbating environmental challenges; therefore, understanding the barriers to reducing meat intake is critical. Feelings of entitlement, linked to selfish motives and identified as a dimension of meat attachment, may hinder the dietary shift from meat to plants. This research shows that priming disentitlement from meat consumption, as a way to reduce entitlement to eat meat, will decrease (increase) preference for meat (plant-based alternatives), mediated by a shift toward less independent self-construal. Understanding how disentitlement might influence meat and plant-based food consumption sheds light on interventions promoting sustainable dietary choices.