Age-related differences in reasoning about the acceptability of eating animals |
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| Authors: | Luke McGuire Emma Fry Sally Palmer Nadira S Faber |
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| Institution: | 1. College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK;2. Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK;3. College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK |
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| Abstract: | Children in the western world often are socialized as meat-eaters, while caring much about animals. Yet we know little about how children think about eating animals and animal products, which will have important consequences for global meat consumption. Participants (n = 479, 80% White British, 57% female; children n = 119, Mage = 10.03, SD = 0.72; young adults n = 181, Mage = 19.09, SD = 0.85; adults n = 179, Mage = 40.97, SD = 8.18) reasoned about the acceptability of eating animals and animal products. Using the framework of social domain theory, we found that that children focused on moral concerns (p < .001, ηp2 = .01), whereas adults referenced conventions about the natural and necessary components of eating meat. Participants across age groups reported eating animal products (e.g., milk) to be acceptable because animals were not harmed. Together these results indicate that attempts to reduce meat consumption ought to be tailored in a domain-specific manner to age groups. |
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| Keywords: | human-animal relations reasoning meat consumption |
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