As meat-reduction policies are discussed across the globe, many are met with public resistance. Cultural values may help explain this pushback, yet their role in shaping support for food policy remains poorly understood. This study is the first to apply cultural cognition theory to food policy by examining how cultural worldviews shape the acceptance of meat-reduction interventions in Singapore and Switzerland—two economically developed countries with contrasting cultural profiles.
In an online survey, participants (Singapore: n = 357; Switzerland: n = 495) rated their acceptance of 11 meat-reduction interventions (e.g. taxes, subsidies, labelling). We then analysed to what extent country differences in acceptance of these interventions were mediated by cultural worldviews (individualism, communitarianism, hierarchy, egalitarianism), meat commitment, and pro-environmental identity.
Singaporeans' acceptance of meat-reduction interventions was higher than in Switzerland. Certain variables mediated this effect. Specifically, Singaporeans scored higher on communitarianism and egalitarianism, which positively predicted acceptance, but also on meat commitment, which was negatively associated with acceptance. Other variables—including hierarchy and environmental identity—did not mediate the relationship between country and acceptance. Country remained a significant predictor even after accounting for these mediators, indicating that unmeasured factors could explain acceptance.
These findings suggest that the acceptance of meat-reduction policies is shaped not only by attachment to meat but also by cultural values. Meat-reduction interventions may gain more traction in societies where communitarian and egalitarian values are more prevalent than individualistic values, underscoring the need for policymakers to tailor strategies to cultural contexts.
