Figure 1
A diagram illustrating the Means-End Chain (MEC) theory, examples of MEC ladders, and the MEC analysis workflow. Panel A: A flowchart showing the MEC knowledge structure with three main components: Attributes (A), Consequences (C), and Values (V). Attributes are divided into concrete and abstract, Consequences into functional and psychosocial, and Values into instrumental and terminal. Panel B: Three illustrative examples of MEC ladders for insect-based protein foods. Each example shows a stimulus category with negative and positive associations, connecting attributes to consequences and values. Panel C: A step-by-step outline of the MEC analysis workflow. The steps include defining the decision context and alternatives, eliciting salient attributes, collecting ladders, coding, aggregating, and visualizing linkages, and interpreting and applying results.Means–End Chain (MEC) theory, illustrative examples of MEC ladders and analysis workflow