Big and small steps. A mixed-methods investigation of meat reduction among different groups of consumers in Denmark

To what extent are consumers willing to change their dietary habits due to concerns over the ongoing climate crisis? What do those who state that they reduce meat in their private household change? These questions are investigated here with a focus on different groups of organic food consumers in Denmark, some of whom are expected to be front-runners in the green transition in terms of diet. The study uses a mixed-methods design and combines results from a representative quantitative survey with results from qualitative focus groups. The results show that the status of meat consumption as ‘normality’ poses a major problem for the green transition because many consumers view meat reduction and replacement as big steps to take. Our results show that the group of consumers with the highest share of organic food intake stand out; they are more concerned about the climate impact of the food they purchase and state a higher willingness to reduce their meat consumption and make many dietary changes compared to consumers with lower shares of organic food purchases. However, even consumers in this group found that reducing meat consumption is a big step. The results also suggest that socio-economic background factors (gender, age, education, region) are reflected in consumer willingness to change practices. For some consumers, changes in food practices seem to come before changes in attitudes, which reinforces our suggestion that the normalisation of meat reduction and replacement is a promising tool to drive food practices towards greener consumption practices.