Why the right resists veg(etari)anism: Ideological commitment to consuming animal products
Maria Ioannidou, Georgia Harlow, Mia Patel, Stefan Leach, Gordon Hodson, Kristof Dhont
Abstract
Right-wing adherents — those higher in social dominance orientation (SDO) or right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) — tend to show stronger commitment to consuming meat, partly due to beliefs in human superiority over animals and resistance to the perceived threat that veg(etari)anism poses to traditional food norms. In two large-scale surveys ( N s = 870 and 1142), we investigated whether these ideological dispositions also predict commitment to dairy, eggs, and fish, not just meat, and more favourable evaluations of animal-based (vs. plant-based) alternatives. The findings demonstrated that the effects of right-wing ideological dispositions (SDO and RWA) persist across different types of animal products and dietary groups, including omnivores, flexitarians, pescatarians, and vegetarians. Perceived veg(etari)anism threat significantly mediated the associations for both SDO and RWA, while human supremacy beliefs also mediated the associations for SDO. These results suggest that animal product consumption and resistance to plant-based alternatives are shaped by ideological worldviews rooted in group-based dominance and cultural traditionalism. Efforts to reduce animal product consumption may need to engage with these underlying ideological narratives. • Right-wing ideology predicts stronger meat commitment. • But does meat hold a unique ideological role in dietary behaviour?. • Two large-scale studies show these effects for dairy, egg, and fish, not just meat. • Human supremacy beliefs and veg(etari)anism threat explain the associations. • Commitment to animal products reflects dominance and tradition-based ideologies.