Is the perfect the enemy of the good? the role of dietary choices, perceptions, and experiences in meat consumption patterns in the U.S.
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Date
2017
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University of New Brunswick
Abstract
Despite decades of promotion, rates of vegetarianism have changed minimally in the
U.S. In part due to this slow growth rate, farmed animal advocates are divided about
whether encouraging meat elimination or meat reduction (and which type) is best.
Following Voltaire’s assertion that the perfect can be the enemy of the good, this
research explores whether vegetarianism (the perfect) may be the enemy of the good for
realizing advocates’ desired social movement outcomes in American society around
meat and farmed animals. This dissertation, drawing on applied sociology and
positioned at the intersection of effective altruism, social movement outcomes, the
sociology of food, and dietary behaviour change, examines this research question and
speaks to whether social movements should ask for intermediate steps or focus on their
desired end goal. This dissertation engages with an effective animal advocacy lens—a subset of
effective altruism—to study the current and future potential impact of three diets
promoted to varying degrees by U.S. advocates: a vegetarian diet, a reduced-meat diet,
and a chicken-free diet (per the problem of smaller-bodied animals). Quantitative
methods were used to consider how these diets can help this social movement “do the
most good,” a key tenet of effective altruism. Data was collected from an online censusbalanced
cross-sectional sample of 30,000+ U.S. adults provided by Nielsen in 2016.
Results showed a reduced-meat diet had the highest prevalence rate among
American adults and the largest number of food opinion leaders based on current as well
as future potential eating patterns. A reduced-meat diet was the driver for the greatest
number of meat-free meals eaten each week and the largest number of adults this is spread amongst, both taking in current and future potential trends. A reduced-meat diet
also had the best external perceptions among those who are not restricting their meat
consumption. Lived experiences was the one exception, where a vegetarian diet had the
best internal experiences among individuals currently eating one of the diets. These
findings suggest that there are reasons to infer that a reduced-meat diet may best support
an effective animal advocacy approach to U.S. dietary outreach.