The Environmental Awareness and Attitude Toward Meat Consumption in Finland.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to identify the environmental awareness based on consumer behavior, the meat consumption level in Finland, and the attitude toward meat consumption based on current consumption and willingness to change dietary habits. The problem statement relies on understanding environmental awareness, meat consumption, and factors that influence consumer choice presented as three hypotheses. In order to comply with the objective, an empirical study was built, which collected attitudes from 237 participants (n=237) through the quantitative methodology. Environmental awareness in general is measured based on psychological factors and consumption behavior. The concern towards the environment is developed by categorized green group consumers, and the pathway escalated from awareness to intentional behavior. The results from the survey show that consumers in Finland have a relatively high concern about the environment and take action to fight climate change. Meat consumption, on the other hand, appears to have little connection to high environmental awareness. Finland has managed well in meat production, but the consumption level still exceeds the country’s expectation. Efforts have been made to minimize the impacts as well as catching up with consumption challenges. From the empirical point of view, it is still too soon for consumers to give up on meat. Yet, consumers show a willingness to reduce/ avoid a high level of consumption for the benefit of the environment. Based on the factors that influence consumption, especially food choice in this study, the empirical study succeeds in concluding that consumers in Finland have high regard for societal values besides psychological needs.