In two studies of attitudes and beliefs of American adults (N = 482), there is a substantial positive correlation between pro-natural and pro-sustainability, a weak negative correlation between pro-technology and pro-natural, and a moderate positive or negative correlation between pro-technology and pro-sustainability, depending on the way technology is framed. Participants also believe strongly that natural policies are ‘good for’ sustainability. Liberals are substantially more pro-sustainable than conservatives, but both political groups are strongly pro-natural. Most respondents explicitly believe that organic farming is ‘good for sustainability’, and many believe that genetically engineered foods are not good for sustainability. On open-ended explanations for their beliefs about positive linkages between natural and sustainability, respondents’ reasons are frequently vague, very generic, factually incorrect, or irrelevant to sustainability (e.g., claims that genetically modified organisms are unnatural or bad for human health). Respondents are inclined to believe in a positive association, often a causal link, between natural and sustainable, both concepts they favor. Additional results from a British adult sample show that 65% agree with the statement: ‘Generally, more natural things cause more sustainable outcomes.’ This may be an example of causal inference supported by congruent valences.

Novel plant-based meat products that aim to mimic the taste and texture of conventional meat have been proposed as a key tool to encourage sustainable dietary shifts. The innovative qualities of these products have been emphasized in consumer marketing campaigns and across brand communication, part of a broader techno-optimistic narrative about the possibilities of food technology to deliver individual and planetary health benefits. Recently, however, the growth of the market for plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) has slowed, attributed to a mix of intrinsic product limitations, consumer price sensitivity, and concerns about “ultra-processing,” among other factors. Together, these developments have raised questions as to whether an emphasis on innovation in the industry’s strategic communication serves to help or hinder their products’ reputation. This article reports on interviews with 46 respondents across 12 different focus group sessions, each recruited via a multi-step purposive sampling process. Participants came from the US and UK (with 23 living in each nation, respectively) and reflected a mix of dietary practices (24 omnivores, 13 vegetarians, and 9 vegans), while the sample included a median age of 40.5 and relatively even gender composition (26 men and 20 women). Guided by concepts from diffusion of innovations research, the primary aim was to explore consumer sense-making of PBMA innovation, specifically, and of food technology more broadly. Key findings emphasize how some respondents bring an ideologically consistent view of innovation to their assessment of PBMAs, while most offer contingent and sometimes contradictory accounts. Fundamentally, consumers consider PBMA innovation and product adoption through an intersecting set of multi-level and domain-specific interpretive schemas, with their perceptions constructed through an often unpredictable mix of personal preference, social network and environmental factors, and broader cultural and ideological influences. The work outlines implications for scholarship, marketing, and applied behavioral interventions in the plant-based foods arena.

Abstract: Background: The Motivations to Eat Meat Inventory (MEMI) assesses four motives for eating meat: Natural, Necessary, Normal, and Nice. This study aims to psychometrically evaluate the German MEMI. Methods: We reanalyzed data from two German-speaking samples (N = 389; N = 1,498) who completed the MEMI online, one with an importance-based (Sample 1), one with an agreement-based (Sample 2) response format. We ran confirmatory factor analyses, tested measurement invariance, and examined validity. Results: Across both samples, bifactor models showed the best fit, with slightly better fit in Sample 1 but acceptable fit in both formats. Measurement invariance across gender, age, and education largely supported factorial validity. Results suggested acceptable convergent validity. Regarding discriminant validity, a strong general factor underpinned responses, with Normal and Nice explaining meaningful additional variance. Nice meaningfully predicted meat consumption. Limitations: Results are limited by sample differences. Conclusions: The German MEMI is a valid tool to assess motivations to eat meat and best modeled with a bifactor structure.

A global shift toward predominantly meat-free diets is essential to achieve more sustainable food systems, yet the transition remains far from complete. This paper investigates the systemic and behavioural dynamics shaping the adoption of plant-based eating of veg∗ns, meat reducers, and omnivores in different dining settings. We analyse data from 3014 Australian participants recruited primarily through a plant-based living magazine to uncover the drivers and barriers for choosing plant-based meals at home and when dining out. The study also investigates the relationship between the frequency of people's meat eating and their capability, opportunity, and motivation to eat plant-based foods. We find that plant-based eating is shaped by distinct behavioural dynamics at home versus when dining out across all dietary groups. Motivation negatively predicts meat consumption frequency for all groups and capability negatively predicts meat consumption frequency for meat reducers and omnivores. When dining out, opportunity positively predicts frequency of meat consumption for omnivores. This research has key implications for policy setting, menu innovation, and ecosystem readiness.

While pet ownership is sometimes associated with better mental health, research on this relationship has been inconsistent. Some researchers have considered what factors may impact this relationship, such as owners’ attachment to their pets. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate how attachment to pets relates to owner mental health and wellbeing. This review followed PRISMA guidelines. Searches were conducted using PsychInfo, Scopus and Google Scholar. Any peer-reviewed empirical studies, in English, investigating attachment to pets and mental health and wellbeing outcomes, were included. Of the 116 included studies, 15 studies found that higher attachment was associated with better mental health, 22 studies found that higher attachment was associated with worse mental health, 36 studies found mixed results and 33 studies found no significant relationship. Having a stronger attachment to one’s pet tended to be associated with better mental health when investigating outcomes in children, and when investigating outcomes related to wellbeing. Stronger attachment tended to be associated with worse mental health when investigating mental health symptomology (e.g., depression and anxiety). It may also be influenced by the owner’s relationships with other people. Due to the cross-sectional design used by studies in this review, we cannot infer the direction of causality for the relationship between attachment to pets and mental health. Results indicate that having a strong attachment to one’s pet is not necessarily associated with better mental health and wellbeing. Future longitudinal research is needed to better understand how attachment to pets affects mental health, and what factors may influence this relationship.

Humans instinctively adopt methods to reduce their risk of encountering harmful pathogens, yet their adherence to preventive health practices can often be erratic. Condoms exemplify one vital preventive tool against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that, despite their effectiveness, are not consistently utilized. This pattern of behavior appears to persist even during periods of widespread disease transmission, with varied data from the COVID-19 pandemic indicating that condom usage remained inconsistent. The present study aimed to clarify these inconsistencies by examining changes in condom use cross-culturally. Heterosexual participants who were sexually active (N = 3,972 [1,327 men, 2,645 women], Mage = 22.82) across 18 countries were asked about their condom use prior to the pandemic, then about their current use. Results revealed a significant decline in Australia, Canada, Portugal, Vietnam, Uganda, and Taiwan. Vaccination percentage and lockdown stringency were associated with this decline cross-culturally. These findings continue to add concerns about the spread of STIs among young people during the pandemic.

Millions of puppies are welcomed into the homes of families around the world each year. However, understanding the ways in which puppies are bred and raised by their breeders, as well as the perspectives and perceptions underpinning these practices, is still in its infancy. The current study administered an online survey to 200 Australian dog breeders to investigate their breeding program characteristics, breeding dog selection, understanding of the importance of early experiences in puppyhood, and the extent and diversity of their puppy rearing and socialisation practices. Results indicated that breeders were motivated by breed improvement and producing dogs for themselves rather than providing companion dogs, despite most of their puppies being placed in companionship roles. The participating breeders also acknowledged the important role they play in shaping puppies’ behaviour and temperament, which was reflected in both their breeding dog selection and in their rearing and socialisation practices. The majority of breeders housed their litters within their residence for the initial weeks of life but the socialisation experiences they provided were variable in type and frequency. Longer-term breeders and those with larger, more intensive programs reported providing human-focused socialisation experiences less frequently, though the correlational nature of these findings require cautious interpretation. Whilst future research should endeavor to explore these results more comprehensively among a more diverse sample, these findings provide valuable insight into the breeding, rearing, and socialisation process undertaken by dog breeders in Australia.

The environmental, health, and animal welfare challenges associated with meat consumption underscore the urgent need to reduce meat intake, particularly in high-income countries. This study investigated the impact of animal-related labels with varying emotional valences (negative, neutral, and positive) on reducing meat selection, focusing on their effects on dissociation, emotional responses, and moral licensing. In an online experiment with the four between-subjects conditions negative, neutral, positive, and no label, participants selected products from a simulated grocery store where labels with animal imagery of chicken, pigs, and cattle were displayed alongside meat products. Negative labels were found to be the most effective in reducing meat consumption as compared to the no label condition, primarily by disrupting state dissociation and eliciting empathy, disgust, and guilt. Compared to the no label condition, neutral labels had limited effects, whereas positive labels led to moral licensing, making meat consumption appear more acceptable. These findings shed light on the psychological processes that shape dietary behavior, highlighting the potential of animal-related labels to reduce dissociation and evoke emotional responses.

What affective states do people ideally want to feel and why? In Affect Valuation Theory, Tsai et al. (2006) proposed and observed that (a) how people would ideally like to feel (their "ideal affect") differs from how they actually feel (their "actual affect"), and (b) cultural factors shape people's ideal affect even more than their actual affect. In this individual participant data meta-analysis, we reexamined these two premises in a combined data file of over 31,000 participants from 124 data sets collected by different research teams across the world. Consistent with Tsai et al., we observed that (a) actual affect and ideal affect are empirically distinct constructs, and (b) cultural differences in ideal affect are larger in magnitude than cultural differences in actual affect. These findings held across research teams, participant populations, and publication status. Importantly, most cultural differences in ideal affect endured over time, including European Americans' greater valuation of high arousal positive states compared to East Asian Americans and East Asians. New patterns also emerged: European Americans valued low arousal positive states more over time; differences in ideal affect emerged among specific East Asian cultural groups; and socioeconomic status, gender, and age were also associated with differences in ideal affect. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Super-diverse societies, like Australia, offer individuals frequent opportunities to engage with cultural elements from a variety of sources in everyday life. While previous research suggests that a polycultural identity-the integration and blending of multiple diverse cultural elements into the self-is associated with positive personal and intercultural outcomes, the mechanisms underlying these benefits remain unclear. We theorised that polycultural identity functions as an adaptive response to super-diversity, emerging among individuals who demonstrate flexibility in perspective-taking, tolerance for contradiction, and a desire to broaden the self through social interactions. Data from a diverse Australian sample recruited via Prolific (N = 483) supported a path model in which polycultural identity mediated the relationship between two malleability-related variables and two well-being outcomes: flourishing and a psychologically rich life. This pattern suggests that polycultural identity may indeed represent a form of positive adaptation to diversity. We also examined links between polycultural identity and aspects of the self, specifically, true self, self-consistency, self-concept clarity, and personal identity strength. The findings indicate that polycultural identity may prioritise enhanced self-understanding and personal agency over a stable, clearly defined, and immutable sense of self. These results offer novel insights into the nature of polycultural identity as a potentially adaptive resource in environments that demand psychological flexibility.

Eating meat is a prime example of cognitive conflict. Research on meat-related conflict has focused on people who eat meat (omnivores), and mostly neglected that people who avoid eating meat (vegetarians and vegans; veg*ans) can also experience conflict in the form of ambivalence. Here, we provide a conceptual model explaining how ambivalence comes to exist in omnivores and veg*ans, and how it is associated with dietary behavior. We hypothesize that ambivalence in omnivores arises when they become aware of the negative aspects of meat. Yet, even veg*ans, who predominantly hold negative attitudes towards meat, may experience ambivalence if past positive attitudes resurface. We investigated this model in a cross-sectional study (N = 1,028) via the stages of change, which explain qualitative steps in people's adoption and maintenance of new behaviors such as a veg*an diet. Our data show that meat consumption decreases linearly across the five stages of change. In line with our model, ambivalence increases from the pre-contemplation via the contemplation to the preparation stage among omnivores and decreases right after people become veg*ans (action stage) until they reach the maintenance stage. This inverted u-shaped trajectory was accompanied by a) an increase in negative evaluations of meat and b) a decrease in positive evaluations of meat from the pre-contemplation to the preparation stage. However, especially positive hedonic evaluations that render meat pleasurable partly persisted in the action stage and only dissolved in the maintenance stage. We thus argue that the observed pattern of felt ambivalence might explain why a growing number of people become open to eschewing meat and why veg*ans often eat meat and/or return to their omnivorous diets shortly after becoming veg*an.

Entomophagy is the technical term for eating insects and traditionally a part of daily diet in many tropical and subtropical countries. The rapidly increasing world population, industry and human-induced environmental pollution, and global warming reduce agricultural lands and clean water resources and make it difficult to produce sufficient food and therefore protein. Although edible insects are a promising opportunity as they require fewer natural resources than other animal foods, they are not considered as the food of the future in many Western countries for reasons such as disgust. A growing body of research in a diverse array of cultural contexts has examined people's attitudes towards eating insects, but this work has not yet included Tiirkiye, a country with a well-established traditional cuisine and where entomophagy is highly novel. This study examined attitudes toward eating insects, and predictors thereof, in a large Turkish community sample (n = 914). For willingness to eat whole insects, age was a significant positive predictor, and food neophobia, disgust sensitivity, and being female were negative predictors for both whole insects and insect flour foods. For both types of insect foods, disgust was a negative predictor and belief in the benefits of eating insects was a positive predictor. This pattern of results is concordant with work from many other cultural contexts in the Americas, Asia, and Western Europe, providing further evidence for the importance of reducing food neophobia and disgust sensitivity and providing information about the benefits of insect foods in order to improve attitudes toward entomophagy.

Market actors have a role to play in enabling sustainable food transitions. One challenge for these actors is how to promote plant-based foods in ways that appeal to a growing number of consumers. Here we test how different plant-based related labels affect consumer appraisals of a range of foods (cookies, sausages, cheese, chocolate, pasta). In two studies (pre-registered; NUSA=1148, NGermany=491), we examined the effects of a ‘vegetarian’, ‘vegan’, or ‘plant-based’ label (compared to no label) on five attributes (healthy, tasty, ethical, pure, environmentally friendly) related to the products. We also measured self-reported likelihood to purchase the products. Overall, the results indicated that the ‘plant-based’ label was slightly more appealing to participants than the ‘vegetarian’ and ‘vegan’ labels. However, contrary to our expectations, neither consumers’ information-seeking tendencies nor their pre-existing attitudes toward plant-based foods influenced (i.e., moderated) the effects of the labels. Anticipated taste was a strong and consistent predictor of purchase likelihood for all labelled products, but the ethical and pure attributes also accounted for unique variance in this outcome variable. Taken together, our findings and discussion provide insights into the role of labels and label terminology on consumer appraisals of plant-based foods.

Portion size is recognized as a major determinant of food intake, at least over the short term, and could be related to overconsumption and obesity. In this study, we developed and evaluated a new visual measure of portion size (PS), examined whether the PS of chicken, ice cream, and soda varied among people in Brazil, France, and the USA, and tested whether PS was related to gender, body mass index, body weight, and socioeconomic status. We conducted a cross-sectional study using online convenience samples of university students (total N = 1391). Across all three foods, French personal and country PSs were significantly smaller than the other three countries. Estimated country PS was reliably larger than personal PS. Women’s personal PSs were smaller than men’s, but women’s and men’s estimates for country PS were similar. French personal and country PSs were the lowest. Some PSs had a weak but significant correlation with SES but were not significantly related to either weight or BMI. The study confirms French-American differences in personal PS and demonstrates that perceived norms correspond to individual PS.

OBJECTIVE This research examines differential responses to ethical vegetarian appeals as a fuction of individuals' personalities. BACKGROUND Ethical vegetarian appeals are persuasive messages promoting the adoption of a plant-based diet on moral grounds. Individuals may vary in their receptivity to such appeals, depending on their morally relevant traits (e.g., agreeableness), beliefs (e.g., speciesism), and motives (e.g., concerns about animal welfare). METHODS We explored (Study 1, N = 907) and then attempted to confirm (Study 2, N = 980) differential responses to three vegetarian appeals-two highlighting moral concerns (animal welfare, the environment) and a third focusing on individual health (control condition). RESULTS Both studies revealed several differential effects of our vegetarian appeals on the perceived effectiveness of the appeal and resultant intentions to reduce meat consumption. These mostly consisted of differences in receptivity to appeals focused on animal welfare. However, only one such effect observed in Study 1 was clearly replicated in Study 2: People who more strongly believed that eating meat was "normal" rated the vegetarian appeals focused on animal welfare as less effective. CONCLUSION Ethical vegetarian appeals may elicit different responses from different people, particularly those focused on animal welfare, depending on how normative one believes meat-eating to be. Such insights can inform behavior change efforts in this area.

While globalisation brings opportunities for cultural enrichment, it may also present challenges as individuals attempt to make sense of and integrate fragmented and often conflicting cultural influences into a coherent self-concept. A qualitative inquiry into contemporary Australians' cultural identity experiences indicated that some people perceive themselves as a product of multiple influences from diverse contacts and learnings, and they mix and reconcile these influences into their self-concept. Building on this prior work, the current study developed and tested a new quantitative measure of polycultural identity. Using two diverse Australian samples (N = 301; N = 525) recruited from Prolific, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a single-factor structure and a high Cronbach's alpha among the final 10 items. Correlational analyses revealed that, as expected, the Polycultural Identity Scale (PIS) was more strongly linked with the endorsement of polycultural ideology than multicultural ideology and was uncorrelated with colourblind ideology. Also, as expected, the PIS correlated moderately with generalised identity blendedness, interest in diverse contact and endorsement of global citizenship but not with identity compartmentalisation or generalised identity harmony. The PIS has the potential to provide valuable insights into the dynamics of multifaceted cultural identity and how individuals organise and synthesise a breadth of cultural influences into a meaningful self-concept.

It is unclear how pet ownership is related to mental health, with some previous research suggesting pet owners have better mental health, while other research suggests they have worse mental health. Some researchers have suggested that it may be more useful to investigate the bond people feel with their pets and how this may impact mental health; however, this too has led to mixed results. This study examined how owners’ attachment to their dogs was associated with mental health and how this compared to their attachment relationships with other humans in a sample of 607 dog owners. Our findings indicate that both strong and insecure attachments to dogs are linked to poorer mental health outcomes, as was having an insecure attachment style in their human relationships. The adverse impact of strong attachment to dogs on mental health was mediated by these owners having an anxious attachment style toward other people, which in turn was associated with poorer mental health. The relationship between a strong attachment to dogs and poorer mental health was also moderated by gender, with this relationship being significant in women but not significant for men. Together, these results suggest a possible risk to mental health for owners who form a strong attachment to their dogs to compensate for anxious attachments in human relationships.

Many people care about animals and do not wish to cause them harm yet continue to eat them. Past research, largely in Western cultural contexts, has found that people’s meat consumption is negatively related to how much they know about animal farming practices, and positively related to their endorsement of speciesism (the assignment of moral worth based on species membership). Little is known, however, about how these variables are related to meat consumption in non-Western samples. The present study aimed to determine to what extent perceptions of farming practices and speciesism predict meat consumption among people living in Australia and Hong Kong. Participants were recruited through Facebook advertising and asked to complete a questionnaire that measured speciesism, animal farming perceptions, meat consumption, and meat reduction intentions. Speciesism and perceptions of animal farming practices significantly predicted meat consumption and meat reduction intentions in the Australian sample, but only predicted some of the outcomes in the Hong Kong sample.

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