Are you ready to eat less meat? Consumer segmentation based on the transtheoretical model of behaviour change

Excess meat production and overconsumption have raised concerns worldwide about meat's potential negative environmental and climate impacts. Reducing these impacts requires behavioural changes among meat consumers as well as an understanding of consumers' stage of change on their meat reduction journey. The transtheoretical model (TTM) of behaviour change offers the potential to reveal consumer readiness for such changes. This study segmented consumers based on their stages of change (pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation and action) as conceptualised by the TTM and identified these segments' psychographic and demographic characteristics. Data were collected via a nationwide online consumer survey in which flyers with a survey link were sent to households in randomly selected postal codes across Switzerland. Cluster analysis (N = 569) using Ward's method identified four distinct consumer segments: ‘Not willing’, ‘Aware but not ready’, ‘Aware and involved’ and ‘Committed and acting’. ‘Not willing’ consumers appear more likely to be in the pre-contemplation stage of TTM and more sceptical of meat reduction, whereas the ‘Committed and acting’ segment includes meat reducers, who claim to be in the action stage. The ‘Aware but not ready’ are mostly at the ‘contemplation’ or ‘preparation’ stages and ‘Aware and involved’ consumers are at the ‘preparation’ or ‘action’ stages. These two segments are considered the main target groups that are amenable to reducing meat intake. Consumers from these two segments show a greater intention to reduce meat consumption and increase vegetable consumption. Targeted strategies should be developed to guide each consumer segment towards more advanced stages of meat reduction.