Debunking meat myths using the truth sandwich: A longitudinal experiment among German meat consumers

Abstract

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.