No Effect of Acknowledging Resistance or Using Autonomy-Supportive Language in Vlogs on Sustainable Consumption Intentions of Emerging Adults

The production and consumption of red meat is a major source of environmental harm, underscoring the need to reduce red meat consumption. Emerging adults (ages 18-25 y/o) are disproportionately affected by the future consequences of climate change. However, meat eaters often react negatively to the promotion of plant-based alternatives. In this study, we tested whether acknowledging resistance and using autonomy-supportive language can promote a more sustainable diet in emerging adults. The online experiment used a 2 (acknowledging resistance: yes vs. no) x 2 (autonomy-supportive language: yes vs. no) factorial between-subjects design in which participants were exposed to a vlog. Our Bayesian analyses show that emerging adults experience less controlling intent and more autonomy support in the autonomy-supportive language conditions. But acknowledging resistance or using autonomy-supportive language is not effective in altering the sustainable consumption intentions. Potentially, using autonomy-supportive language decreases the persuasiveness of the message in the vlog.