An increasing number of individuals aim to reduce their meat consumption, but implementing this is challenging. Self-control strategies could support this change; however, their effectiveness remains understudied. This study examines whether providing self-control strategies supports motivated individuals in reducing meat intake. Based on the Process Model of Self-Control, we tested whether situational strategies outperform intrapsychic strategies. Additionally, we examined whether combining both strategy types is more effective than either strategy alone. We conducted an ecological momentary intervention including a baseline (week 1), an intervention (weeks 2-4), and a follow-up (week 9). Participants—156 German students who regularly consumed meat and aimed to reduce their consumption—were randomized to one of four groups: during the intervention, they received either no, intrapsychic, situational, or both strategies. Meat consumption (grams) was measured through end-of-the-day reports. Two-part multilevel models showed that receiving strategies (vs. none) and receiving both strategy families (vs. one) increased the odds of meat-free meals during the intervention, but did not affect overall meat consumption reduction. All groups meaningfully reduced meat consumption, even up to the one-month follow-up, highlighting the effectiveness of self-monitoring. Findings challenge the key prediction of the Process Model and inform the design of future diary interventions.

Health-related myths spread rapidly and can have a negative impact not only on individuals, but also on public health. In the present research, we aim to investigate the extent to which the effectiveness of debunking health misinformation with the truth sandwich text format depends on the source delivering the correction. Further, we examined whether source trustworthiness and psychological reactance mediate this effect. We conducted two pre-registered experimental studies with samples representative of the German population in terms of gender and age (total N = 2,684). In the context of a hypothetical online information search on the topics of vaccines (Study 1) or nutrition (Study 2), participants' exposure to the corrective information to one of several selected myths and its source (general practitioner vs. health institution vs. company) was varied. The main dependent variable was health myth agreement after debunking. We found that the prevalence of vaccine myths was rather low, which methodologically limited our debunking efforts. For nutrition myths, the debunking was successful, and all sources were able to debunk misinformation, as there was no evidence for differences in their effectiveness. However, we found a significant indirect effect of source on myth agreement after debunking, mediated in serial by source trustworthiness and psychological reactance. This research indicates that the effect of the source in a truth sandwich seems to be less important if the debunking message is carefully formulated. However, the characteristics of the source can still exert an indirect influence on the recipients' response to the message.

A growing number of individuals desire to cut down on meat consumption, yet translating this intention into action poses challenges. Self-control strategies offer a potential solution but remain under-researched in the area of meat reduction. Applying the Process Model of Self-Control, we explored consumers' knowledge and perceptions of self-control strategies to reduce meat consumption. The model differentiates between five sequential strategy categories: situation selection, situation modification, attentional deployment, cognitive change, and response modulation. In Study 1, participants (N = 158) described challenging situations (Nsituations = 443) and potential self-control strategies (Nstrategies = 1320) that were then categorized according to the Process Model. In Study 2, participants (N = 503) evaluated strategies in terms of effectiveness and feasibility. Results showed that reducing meat intake was perceived as more challenging when eating out vs. at home, in company vs. alone, and during dinner vs. other meals. Participants predominantly suggested situation modification strategies, especially modifying the meal itself, while attentional deployment was least prevalent. The five strategy categories of the Process Model differed significantly in perceived effectiveness and feasibility. Four sub-strategies received particularly positive evaluations: choosing goal-congruent situations, modifying the meal, guiding attention towards goal-congruent stimuli, and thinking about animal welfare. Two sub-strategies received rather negative evaluations: modifying the social environment and setting a self-punishment. Trait self-control was not related to strategy knowledge but to finding situations less challenging and strategies more feasible. Our findings highlight strategy knowledge gaps and identify promising self-control strategies for interventions.

BACKGROUND:Population-based screening programs are widely promoted as a cornerstone of preventive health care, yet their structural features may subtly influence individual decision making. In the present research, we investigated whether informed decision making may be challenged by population-based screening programs if these are perceived as establishing a default of participation. We hypothesized that screening intentions are higher if the screening is part of a population-based program and that this effect is mediated by perceived default. METHODS:In a preregistered online experiment, 997 German participants aged 18 to 75 years (M = 47.93 y, SD = 15.62 y) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. Participants read a scenario describing a hypothetical cancer screening offered either (a) as part of a population-based screening program, (b) upon request, or (c) within a research project. The main dependent variable was intention to screen. RESULTS:Screening intentions were significantly higher when the screening was included in a population-based program (M = 4.83) compared with a screening that was available upon request (M = 4.42, P = 0.013, d = 0.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.07, 0.37]) or part of a research project (M = 4.44, P = 0.021, d = 0.21, 95% CI [0.06, 0.36]). A mediation analysis revealed that the status of screening indirectly influenced the intention to participate through its effect on the perceived default of participation. CONCLUSIONS:These findings indicate that program structures alone may shape decisions in ways that challenge the aim of informed choice, particularly for screenings with contested benefit-harm profiles. To ensure that population-based programs support rather than undermine informed decision making, communication and program design must promote transparency and enable active, preference-sensitive choices.

The same dataset can be analysed in different justifiable ways to answer the same research question, potentially challenging the robustness of empirical science1-3. In this crowd initiative, we investigated the degree to which research findings in the social and behavioural sciences are contingent on analysts' choices. We examined a stratified random sample of 100 studies published between 2009 and 2018, in which, for one claim per study, at least five reanalysts independently reanalysed the original data. The statistical appropriateness of the reanalyses was assessed in peer evaluations, and the robustness indicators were inspected along a range of research characteristics and study designs. We found that 34% of the independent reanalyses yielded the same result (within a tolerance region of ±0.05 Cohen's d) as the original report; with a four times broader tolerance region, this indicator increased to 57%. Of the reanalyses conducted, 74% reached the same conclusion as the original investigation, 24% yielded no effects or inconclusive results and 2% reported the opposite effect. This exploratory study indicates that the common single-path analyses in social and behavioural research should not be simply assumed to be robust to alternative analyses4. Therefore, we recommend the development and use of practices to explore and communicate this neglected source of uncertainty.

Correcting misinformation about the health and environmental consequences of meat consumption is crucial, yet research on effective debunking techniques remains limited. Past research suggests that the truth sandwich text format can counter nutrition myths, but its effectiveness for meat myths, its longer-term effects, and the role of potential moderators remain unclear. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the truth sandwich in debunking meat myths, both immediately and after two weeks, and examines whether trust in science moderates these effects. A prestudy identified prevalent meat myths, from which two were selected for the main study. For the main study, we conducted a preregistered longitudinal study with a representative sample of 537 German meat consumers. The study used a 3 (text: truth sandwich about a health-related meat myth, truth sandwich about an environment-related meat myth, control text) x 2 (time: immediately, after two weeks) mixed experimental design. The dependent variables were agreement with a) the health-related meat myth and b) the environment-related meat myth. We conducted analyses of variance and moderation analyses for each time point and each dependent variable. Results show that truth sandwich texts effectively reduced immediate myth agreement. However, debunking effects were no longer present after two weeks. While higher trust in science was linked to lower myth agreement, it did not moderate the effects of truth sandwich texts. We conclude that the truth sandwich is a powerful text format for debunking meat myths, but additional strategies are needed to achieve long-lasting myth correction.

High rates of meat consumption have negative effects on health and the environment. Various studies have shown that visualising animals (e.g., through photos of animals placed next to meat products) can induce cognitive dissonance and reduce the intention to consume meat. However, almost all of these previous studies were conducted in online settings. Therefore, the present study investigates the effect of animal visualisations on meat choices in an experimental lab study at a fake food buffet. We used a between-subjects design with three conditions: realistic images (n = 107), schematic images (n = 107), and no images (n = 107). As the dependent variable, we compared the proportion of meat that participants selected from the fake food buffet. Contrary to our pre-registered hypotheses, we found no differences in meat selection, neither between the animal visualisation conditions compared to the control group, nor between the realistic and the schematic image condition. Moreover, we found no support for a mediating effect of cognitive dissonance. We conclude that animal visualisations are less effective in realistic settings than in online studies.

Science is integral to society because it can inform individual, government, corporate, and civil society decision-making on issues such as public health, new technologies or climate change. Yet, public distrust and populist sentiment challenge the relationship between science and society. To help researchers analyse the science-society nexus across different geographical and cultural contexts, we undertook a cross-sectional population survey resulting in a dataset of 71,922 participants in 68 countries. The data were collected between November 2022 and August 2023 as part of the global Many Labs study “Trust in Science and Science-Related Populism” (TISP). The questionnaire contained comprehensive measures for individuals’ trust in scientists, science-related populist attitudes, perceptions of the role of science in society, science media use and communication behaviour, attitudes to climate change and support for environmental policies, personality traits, political and religious views and demographic characteristics. Here, we describe the dataset, survey materials and psychometric properties of key variables. We encourage researchers to use this unique dataset for global comparative analyses on public perceptions of science and its role in society and policy-making.

Die Gemeinschaftsverpflegung in Deutschland spielt eine zentrale Rolle bei der täglichen Ernährung von Millionen Menschen und hat somit einen erheblichen Einfluss auf Gesundheit und Nachhaltigkeit. Diese Übersichtsarbeit untersucht die Chancen und Herausforderungen der Entscheidungsarchitektur zur Förderung nachhaltiger Ernährungsweisen innerhalb der Gemeinschaftsverpflegung. Im Mittelpunkt stehen 3 Arten von Interventionen, die in diesem Kontext relativ einfach umgesetzt werden können: 1) Default-Interventionen, bei denen eine Auswahloption als Standard angeboten wird; 2) Verfügbarkeitsinterventionen, bei denen das Angebot gesteuert wird; sowie 3) Empfehlungen in Form von Labels oder Logos. Wir präsentieren aktuelle Forschungsergebnisse, die demonstrieren, wie diese Interventionen dazu beitragen können, positive Ernährungsentscheidungen zu fördern, während gleichzeitig die Wahlfreiheit der Konsumentinnen und Konsumenten gewahrt bleibt. Strategien wie die Etablierung eines fleischlosen Standardmenüs oder die Erhöhung der Verfügbarkeit fleischloser Gerichte zeigen vielversprechende Ergebnisse, während die Wirksamkeit von Ökolabels je nach Verpflegungskontext uneinheitlich bleibt. Unser Fazit betont die Notwendigkeit weiterer praxisorientierter Studien sowie die Relevanz eines integrativen Ansatzes, der alle relevanten Stakeholder in den Veränderungsprozess einbezieht. Durch eine ausgewogene Kombination dieser Maßnahmen können Verantwortliche einen signifikanten Beitrag zur Entwicklung einer nachhaltigen und zukunftsfähigen Gemeinschaftsverpflegung leisten.

Many researchers and policymakers assume that interventions targeting trust in science will be key for promoting health-related behaviors, including in the context of curbing the spread of disease. One central finding from the past pandemic is that trust in science predicted health-related protection intentions and behaviors, such as social distancing and vaccination. Yet, it is unclear whether the observed correlation between trust in science and protection intentions does indeed imply causation. Across our studies (total N = 5311), we successfully replicated this correlation. However, when experimentally manipulating self-reported trust in science, we found no evidence for causal effects on protection intentions. This absence of meaningful effects was confirmed by equivalence tests, an internal meta-analysis ( N = 3761), and a machine learning algorithm. These results question the causal importance of short-term changes in trust in science for protection intentions. Drawing the right lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic will be essential for effective future policy responses.

Front-of-pack labels (FOPLs) are a common strategy employed to promote healthy and sustainable food choices. In the recent years, there has been an increased tendency to highlight not only healthiness but also sustainability aspects via different FOPLs, thereby resulting in multiple labelling. Although relevant, the effects of concurrent FOPLs on food evaluation are yet unclear. To shed light on this question, we conducted two representative studies online (N = 996 and N = 1080) where we asked participants to rate 15 branded (Study 1) and 15 generic (Study 2) snack foods presented with corresponding nutrition and ecolabels in terms of perceived healthiness, sustainability, liking, wanting, and willingness to purchase. Both studies employed a 2 x 2 between-subject design with two factors: Nutri-Score (positive, negative) and Eco-Score (positive, negative). Results indicated that both branded and generic foods received higher healthiness and sustainability ratings when presented with positive Nutri- and Eco-Scores, respectively. Interestingly, Nutri-Score affected sustainability ratings as well, supporting that its effects may generalize to other ratings. Branded food items with two negative labels were liked significantly more than branded food items with two positive labels (Study 1), however these effects were not replicated when using generic food items (Study 2). These findings suggest that while label effects on healthiness and sustainability appear consistent, their effects on liking, wanting, and willingness to purchase are limited and likely modulated by other factors. Future research should investigate how label-induced shifts in food evaluations translate to food choices in the presence of multiple labels.

This 68-country survey (n = 71,922) examines science information diets and communication behavior, identifies cross-country differences, and tests how such differences are associated with sociopolitical and economic conditions. We find that social media are the most used sources of science information in most countries, except those with democratic-corporatist media systems where news media tend to be used more widely. People in collectivist societies are less outspoken about science in daily life, whereas lower education is associated with higher outspokenness. Limited access to digital media is correlated with participation in public protests on science matters. We discuss implications for future research, policy, and practice.

Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists. We interrogated these concerns with a preregistered 68-country survey of 71,922 respondents and found that in most countries, most people trust scientists and agree that scientists should engage more in society and policymaking. We found variations between and within countries, which we explain with individual- and country-level variables, including political orientation. While there is no widespread lack of trust in scientists, we cannot discount the concern that lack of trust in scientists by even a small minority may affect considerations of scientific evidence in policymaking. These findings have implications for scientists and policymakers seeking to maintain and increase trust in scientists.

Adopting a sustainable lifestyle is challenging because people often perceive their pro-environmental actions as ineffective and unimpactful. To reduce disposable cups use for “to-go” drinks, we presented information that makes the effectiveness of one’s efforts visible. In three experiments, we demonstrated that presenting explicated effectiveness information (i.e., figures showing the number of disposable cups that could be saved over time by using a reusable cup instead) as accumulated (vs. daily) increased the perceived effectiveness of one’s action, which, in turn, was associated with enhanced intention to use a reusable cup. This effect was obtained when the accumulated information showed potential high (i.e., 20 cups saved in a month, Experiments 1 and 2), but not low (i.e., 48 cups saved in a year, Experiment 3) impact. Our findings underscore the importance of presenting information that makes the effectiveness of one’s efforts visible to promote sustainable consumption.

Institutional food services in Germany play a crucial role in the daily nutrition of millions of people and therefore have a substantial impact on both health and sustainability. This narrative review examines the opportunities and challenges of choice architecture to promote sustainable eating habits within institutional food services. The focus is on three types of interventions that are relatively easy to implement in this context: 1) default interventions, where an option is set as the standard; 2) availability interventions, where the range of offerings is controlled; and 3) recommendations in the form of labels or logos.We present current research findings demonstrating how these interventions can encourage positive dietary choices while maintaining consumers' freedom of choice. Strategies such as establishing a meat-free default menu or increasing the availability of vegetarian dishes show promising results, whereas the effectiveness of eco-labels varies depending on the catering context.Our conclusion emphasizes the need for further practical research and highlights the importance of an integrated approach that involves all relevant stakeholders in the change process. Through a balanced combination of these measures, decision-makers can make a significant contribution to the development of sustainable and future-oriented institutional food services.

Drawing the right lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic will be essential for effective future policy responses. One central finding from the past pandemic is that trust in science predicts health-related protection intentions and behaviors, such as social distancing and vaccination. Many researchers and policymakers thus believe that interventions targeting trust in science will be key for curbing the spread of future pandemics. Yet, it is unclear whether the observed correlation between trust in science and protection intentions does indeed imply causation. In a series of studies (total N = 5,311), we replicated this correlation between trust in science and protection intentions (Studies 1, 3, and 4). At the same time, when experimentally manipulating trust in science, we found no evidence for causal effects on protection intentions (Studies 2 to 4). This absence of meaningful effects was further confirmed by equivalence tests and by an internal meta-analysis (N = 3,761). Finally, a machine learning algorithm likewise found no evidence that manipulating trust in science affects protection intentions. While it is inherently difficult to prove the absence of an effect, these results cast doubts on the causal importance of short-term changes in trust in science for protection intentions.

Conspiracy beliefs have been linked to perceptions of collective victimhood. We adopt an individual perspective on victimhood by investigating the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and the individual disposition to perceive and react to injustice as a victim, i.e., victim justice sensitivity (VJS). Data from two German samples (Ns = 370, 373) indicated a positive association between VJS and conspiracy mentality beyond conceptually related covariates (e.g., mistrust). In a multinational sample from 15 countries (N = 14,978), VJS was positively associated with both general and specific conspiracy beliefs (about vaccines and climate change) within countries, though these associations varied across countries. However, economic, sociopolitical and cultural country-level factors that might explain the cross-country variability (e.g., GDP, Human Freedom Index, individualism-collectivism), including indices of collective exposure to direct violence, did not moderate the studied associations. Future research should investigate the relationship between victimhood and conspiracy beliefs, considering both intraindividual and intergroup perspectives.

Background Icon arrays have been shown to be an effective method for communicating medical risk information. However, in practice, icon arrays used to visualize personal risks often differ in the type and color of the icons. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of icon type and color on the perception and recall of cardiovascular risk, as little is known about how color affects the perception of icon arrays. Methods A total of 866 participants aged 40 to 90 years representative of the German population in terms of gender and age completed an online experiment. Using a 2 × 2 between-subjects design, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental groups. They received their hypothetical 10-year cardiovascular risk using an icon array that varied by icon type (smiley v. person) and color (black/white v. red/yellow). We measured risk perception, emotional response, intentions of taking action to reduce the risk (e.g., increasing one’s physical activity), risk recall, and graph evaluation/trustworthiness, as well as numeracy and graphical literacy. Results Icon arrays using person icons were evaluated more positively. There was no effect of icons or color on risk perception, emotional response, intentions of taking action to reduce the risk, or trustworthiness of the graph. While more numerate/graphical literate participants were more likely to correctly recall the presented risk estimate, icon type and color did not influence the probability of correct recall. Conclusions Differences in the perception of the tested icon arrays were rather small, suggesting that they may be equally suitable for communicating medical risks. Further research on the robustness of these results across other colors, icons, and risk domains could add to guidelines on the design of visual aids. Highlights The use of different icons and colors did not influence the perception and the probability of recalling the 10-year cardiovascular risk, the emotional response, or the intentions to reduce the presented risk. Icon arrays with person icons were evaluated more positively. There was no evidence to suggest that the effectiveness of the studied icon arrays varied based on individuals’ levels of numerical or graphical literacy, nor did it differ between people with or without a history of CVD or on medication for an increased CVD risk.

Daily food choices do not only affect our health but also the environment in important ways. Food choice architecture can help to nudge people towards more healthy and sustainable food options. The current research explores the influence of menu design strategies on food choices and satisfaction in a hypothetical hospital setting. Specifically, we systematically tested the effect of vegetarian option availability, menu category framing, and health recommendation inclusion on hypothetical food choice and satisfaction, conducting two large online studies representative of the German adult population that consumes meat at least once a week (Study 1: N = 991; Study 2: N = 989). Both studies were based on a menu from a German university hospital. Results revealed that increasing the availability of vegetarian options increased vegetarian food choices. Neutral menu descriptions had no impact, whereas health recommendations that were presented in form of a visual appeal slightly increased vegetarian dish choices. Importantly, the research also considered menu satisfaction, revealing no main effects of availability, framing and health recommendation. Only when a health recommendation was added to a menu with high availability of vegetarian options, satisfaction was decreased. The findings suggest that menu design elements could modestly influence food choices and satisfaction among meat-eaters in healthcare settings, warranting further investigation with hospital patients.