A Comparative Analysis of Reddit Discussions on Meat Reduction in Portugal, Poland, and the United Kingdom

Roszczynska kurasinska, Magdalena

In recent years, diets that minimize meat and animal-derived products have garnered considerable attention and popularity in the Western world. This shift is largely due to the results highlighting the negative health effects of animal-based products and the environmental impact of animal farming (Willett et al., 2019). Although many countries have recently recognized the benefits of plant-based diets and reduction of meat intake for human health and environmental issues, a great majority of the population is still skeptical about reducing or removing animal-derived food.

In our study we use the COM-B model as a theoretical framework. According to the model, behavior originates from the interaction of three components: capability, opportunity, and motivation (Michie, Atkins & West, 2014). Using the model, we analyzed Reddit discussion data to investigate the motivations, opportunities, and capabilities involved in adopting plant-based, vegetarian, or reduced meat consumption diets in three European countries: Poland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Although all these three countries once belonged to the European Union they differ in terms of geographical location, economics, and culture.

Considering all 1,151 comments from the three Reddit threads, motivations were the most frequently discussed, with 291 comments (25%), followed by opportunities with 195 comments (17%). Capabilities were the least mentioned component, appearing in 90 comments (8%). The conversations on the topic were fairly similar, yet there were striking differences in the proportion of some topics mentioned. Furthermore, the manner these topics were discussed shows how the factors influencing meat reduction vary somewhat across countries and are affected by the physical, social, economic, informational environment, as well as intrapersonal factors such as attitudes, beliefs, social norms, and cultural norms specific to these locations. The study highlights and contextualizes the similarities and differences in barriers and enabler across the countries, considering their unique cultural, economic, and social environments.