Highlights
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- We examined attitudes toward beef and vegetarianism in four cultures.
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- Men were more pro-beef, in free associations, liking, craving, and consumption.
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- The Argentines and French were most pro-beef.
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- Ambivalence toward beef was highest among women and Brazilians.
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- Most groups were neutral toward vegetarians; the French were most negative.
Abstract
Meat
is both the most favored and most tabooed food in the world. In the
developed world, there is a tension between its high nutritional
density, preferred taste, and high status on the one hand, and concerns
about weight, degenerative diseases, the ethics of killing animals, and
the environmental cost of meat production on the other hand. The present
study investigated attitudes toward beef, and toward vegetarians, among
college students in Argentina, Brazil, France, and the USA. Across
countries, men were more pro-beef, in free associations, liking,
craving, and frequency of consumption. By country, Brazil and Argentina
were generally the most positive, followed by France and then the United
States. Ambivalence to beef was higher in women, and highest in Brazil.
Only Brazilian and American women reported frequent negative
associations to beef (e.g. “disgusting”, “fatty”). Overall, most
students had positive attitudes to beef, and the attitude to vegetarians
was generally neutral. America and Brazilian women showed some
admiration for vegetarians, while only French men and women had negative
attitudes to vegetarians. In spite of frequent negative ethical,
health, and weight concerns, in the majority of the sample, liking for
and consumption of beef was maintained at a high level.
Keywords
- Attitudes;
- Beef;
- Culture;
- Gender;
- Meat;
- Preferences;
- Vegetarianism
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