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What vegans do to us : a quantitative study assessing the effects of different reasons for a vegan diet on other people’s self-concept.

Nagelmann, S.R. (2020) What vegans do to us : a quantitative study assessing the effects of different reasons for a vegan diet on other people’s self-concept.

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Abstract:Introduction. Vegans are a group of moral refusers, who face a lot of prejudice in our society. Research has shown that the reasons for someone’s veganism seem to be linked to how much prejudice they have to face: Vegans motivated by animal welfare reasons face the most negativity, followed by those motivated by environmental reasons and, finally, those motivated by personal health reasons. Therefore, this study aims at exploring the effects of different reasons to adopt a vegan diet, which differ in their degree of morality, on other people’s self-concept. Specifically, the negative effects on perceivers’ self-esteem and the resulting resentment towards the refuser will be examined. Methods. 245 participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions (animal welfare, environment, personal health, control) and asked to engage in a virtual taste test. After evaluating food (a slice of cucumber and a slice of sausage), they were asked to read through the answers of another participant, which indicate that the participant refused to eat the slice of sausage for either personal health, environmental or animal welfare reasons. A control condition was introduced as well. Subsequently, participants answered two questionnaires assessing how much they liked the refuser and how high their self-esteem is. Results. Statistical tests showed that there was no significant difference in the participants’ self-esteem across conditions. Additionally, it was found that the moral refusers motivated by animal welfare reasons were liked significantly more than those motivated by environmental, personal health and non-moral reasons. Discussion. The findings, which are contrary to prior research, can be explained by the fact that the study was conducted online and participants, therefore, did not engage in the problematic task deemed immoral by the refuser. Therefore, it is recommended to replicate the current study in order to have participants engage in the behaviour which is implicitly criticized by the refusers.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:77 psychology
Programme:Psychology MSc (66604)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/82551
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