Easy at home, difficult at the restaurant: Perceived effectiveness and feasibility of self-control strategies for reducing meat consumption

A growing number of individuals desire to cut down on meat consumption, yet translating this intention into action poses challenges. Self-control strategies offer a potential solution but remain under-researched in the area of meat reduction. Applying the Process Model of Self-Control, we explored consumers' knowledge and perceptions of self-control strategies to reduce meat consumption. The model differentiates between five sequential strategy categories: situation selection, situation modification, attentional deployment, cognitive change, and response modulation. In Study 1, participants (N = 158) described challenging situations (N_situations = 443) and potential self-control strategies (N_strategies = 1320) that were then categorized according to the Process Model. In Study 2, participants (N = 503) evaluated strategies in terms of effectiveness and feasibility. Results showed that reducing meat intake was perceived as more challenging when eating out vs. at home, in company vs. alone, and during dinner vs. other meals. Participants predominantly suggested situation modification strategies, especially modifying the meal itself, while attentional deployment was least prevalent. The five strategy categories of the Process Model differed significantly in perceived effectiveness and feasibility. Four sub-strategies received particularly positive evaluations: choosing goal-congruent situations, modifying the meal, guiding attention towards goal-congruent stimuli, and thinking about animal welfare. Two sub-strategies received rather negative evaluations: modifying the social environment and setting a self-punishment. Trait self-control was not related to strategy knowledge but to finding situations less challenging and strategies more feasible. Our findings highlight strategy knowledge gaps and identify promising self-control strategies for interventions.