Understanding consumers’ ethical orientation in consumption choices – An application to meat products
(A2023-114339)

AUTHORS

Anne Peschel, Aarhus University; George Tsalis, Assistant Professor - Aarhus University; Klaus Grunert, Aarhus University, MAPP Centre, Department of Management; Kristina Thomsen, Aarhus University

ABSTRACT

Meat production systems have to become more sustainable to ensure their social license to operate. While the discussion on the meat sector’s social license to operate revolves around sustainability and ethicality of meat production, less is known about consumers’ ethical orientation in relation to meat consumption. To this end, we incorporate a measurement scale for consumers’ ethical orientation in a latent class choice segmentation with 3028 European consumers to understand their preferences regarding responsible meat production and the role of ethicality as well as environmental concern. The results show that the segment with high meat consumption prefers lower prices and a smaller share of less-price sensitive, environmentally concerned consumers prefer the meat of animals that had outdoor access. A higher ethical orientation is associated with purchasing welfare meat. We conclude that ethicality appeals could have potential in reaching consumers of welfare meat.