A Systematic Mapping of Meat Consumption Behaviours: Socio-Cultural Dimensions
Abstract
Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) are widely used to assess climate trajectories and mitigation strategies, but often fail to adequately incorporate human behaviour and societal feedback. This thesis addresses this gap by investigating the factors influencing meat consumption behaviours, with a particular focus on the socio-cultural dimension. Meat consumption was chosen as a representative case of modern sustainability challenges, as it intersects with multiple issues, including biodiversity, climate change, and resource use. Through an analysis of eleven systematic reviews and 95 research articles, a causal loop diagram (CLD) was developed to map the connections between drivers and barriers of meat consumption, emphasizing dynamic feedback loops and socio-cultural factors.The findings identify personal, socio-cultural, and external dimensions as key influences on meat consumption, with socio-cultural factors shaping personal beliefs and habits through norms, traditions, and social pressures. Economic factors such as affordability reinforce meat-eating norms, while health and ethical concerns are mediated by external political and economic conditions. The CLD highlights dynamic interactions and feedback loops, such as the reinforcement of meat culture and identity through habitual consumption and social norms, as well as barriers to adopting meat alternatives due to taste preferences and identity conflicts.Methodologically, the thesis employed a systematic, interdisciplinary approach using qualitative system dynamics and hybrid coding techniques to analyse and map causal relationships. While limitations related to data volume, cross-disciplinary methods, and software usability were encountered, the approach demonstrates great potential for future research on sustainability challenges. The results emphasize the need for integrated interventions targeting multiple levels-personal, socio-cultural, and external-to achieve sustainable reductions in meat consumption. These findings contribute to broader efforts of integrating human behaviour and socio-cultural feedback into IAMs and potentially other addressing complex sustainability issues.