Social Structural Influences on Meat Consumption

Abstract

Meat production is a major hidden cause of many critical environmental problems, indicating that individual dietary habits are a form of environmentally significant consumption (ESC). We build upon the growing literature on ESC by analyzing the effects of social structural factors on the total meat and beef consumption of individuals. Our purpose here is to further our understanding of the factors that contribute to individual consumption patterns of environmentally significant commodities. Gender, race, ethnicity, location of residence (region and urban vs. non-urban), and social class all appear to affect dietary habits even when controlling for physiological variables such as body weight and age. We argue that social structural factors in combination with macro-economic structure and psychological factors provide a rich explanation of the consumption patterns of individuals.