The political ideological dimensions of meat consumption

As in the political dynamics around other sustainability transitions, the transition away from meat and dairy seems to be emerging as a new frontier in political polarisation. Drawing on a representative sample of the Dutch population this paper investigates the political ideological dimensions of meat consumption and connects them to party support. Analysis of the ideological dimensions underlying meat consumption reveal that different ideological dimensions associated with the political right, such as cultural conservatism, traditionalism and nativism predict a higher commitment to meat consumption, while climate concerns and animal welfare are negative predictors. The paper suggests that meat reduction policies have the potential to become integrated in wider political polarisation (‘culture wars’) of sustainability, especially when climate issues are made salient. A focus on animal welfare might, however, be a pathway for less political polarisation of the protein transition.