It’s also interesting to compare the results from this Animal Equality study to the results from the previous Reducetarian Labs MTurk Study.
In the Reducetarian Labs study, you found that respondents reduced their consumption of chicken by an average of 1.127 servings a month [0.26 52 / 12]. (The estimate for the Animal Equality study is slightly higher at 1.399 servings a month [0.86 1.627].)
Assuming that the effect lasted six months, respondents ate, on average, 6.762 fewer servings of chicken [6 1.127 servings]. This means they ate, on average, 25.019 fewer ounces of chicken [3.7 6.762 ounces] (or 1.564 fewer pounds of chicken [25.019 ounces / 16]). Since any reduction in consumption is partially offset by others increasing their consumption (due to the reduction in consumption lowering prices), the net reduction in amount eaten was 0.594 pounds [0.38 1.564 pounds]. Making the same assumption I made in the parent comment, this reduction results in 1.208 fewer pounds of chicken carcass being produced [2.033 0.594 pounds]. This means that, on average, each respondent spared 0.292 chickens [1.208 pounds / 4.134 pounds] and 0.035 chicken years [0.12 0.292 chickens]. (By comparison, respondents in the Animal Equality study spared, on average, 0.362 chickens [0.292 / 1.127 1.399] and 0.043 chicken years [0.035 / 1.127 * 1.399].)
[The numbers used in the above paragraph are borrowed from the parent comment or your Guesstimate model.]
Assuming that it costs $0.35 to reach one person through leafletting or online ads (which seems to be the number you used in reporting the Reducetarian Labs study), it would cost $1.20 to spare a chicken [$0.35 1 / 0.292] and $10.00 to spare a chicken year [$0.35 1 / 0.035].
Why are these numbers so much lower than the numbers reported for the Animal Equality study? All numbers used for the estimate were the same except for consumption reduction per respondent and cost per respondent. Additionally, consumption reduction per respondent was very similar between the two studies. Thus, the difference is almost entirely due to cost per respondent: it costs $0.35 to reach a person through leafletting or online ads while it costs $3.30* to reach a person through in-person videos. Perhaps there’s a lesson here: if two interventions have a roughly similar effect size but significantly different costs per person reached, choosing the lower cost intervention can greatly increase impact per dollar.
*In your Guesstimate model for pigs, you use a cost per person of $2.80 for 2D video and $2.90 for VR video. Why is the cost per person higher for chickens?
Finally, it’s worth noting that the above analysis of the Reducetarian Labs study is limited to the respondents’ reported reduction in consumption of chicken. (The respondents also reported reducing consumption of other animal products.)
Hey RandomEA, just wanted to weigh in here that Marcus and I are very grateful for your comments. I’ve dedicated a week of my research time this month to go through them and update the post as well as do some ideas for follow-up research looking at the Reducetarian Labs study data.
It’s also interesting to compare the results from this Animal Equality study to the results from the previous Reducetarian Labs MTurk Study.
In the Reducetarian Labs study, you found that respondents reduced their consumption of chicken by an average of 1.127 servings a month [0.26 52 / 12]. (The estimate for the Animal Equality study is slightly higher at 1.399 servings a month [0.86 1.627].)
Assuming that the effect lasted six months, respondents ate, on average, 6.762 fewer servings of chicken [6 1.127 servings]. This means they ate, on average, 25.019 fewer ounces of chicken [3.7 6.762 ounces] (or 1.564 fewer pounds of chicken [25.019 ounces / 16]). Since any reduction in consumption is partially offset by others increasing their consumption (due to the reduction in consumption lowering prices), the net reduction in amount eaten was 0.594 pounds [0.38 1.564 pounds]. Making the same assumption I made in the parent comment, this reduction results in 1.208 fewer pounds of chicken carcass being produced [2.033 0.594 pounds]. This means that, on average, each respondent spared 0.292 chickens [1.208 pounds / 4.134 pounds] and 0.035 chicken years [0.12 0.292 chickens]. (By comparison, respondents in the Animal Equality study spared, on average, 0.362 chickens [0.292 / 1.127 1.399] and 0.043 chicken years [0.035 / 1.127 * 1.399].)
[The numbers used in the above paragraph are borrowed from the parent comment or your Guesstimate model.]
Assuming that it costs $0.35 to reach one person through leafletting or online ads (which seems to be the number you used in reporting the Reducetarian Labs study), it would cost $1.20 to spare a chicken [$0.35 1 / 0.292] and $10.00 to spare a chicken year [$0.35 1 / 0.035].
Why are these numbers so much lower than the numbers reported for the Animal Equality study? All numbers used for the estimate were the same except for consumption reduction per respondent and cost per respondent. Additionally, consumption reduction per respondent was very similar between the two studies. Thus, the difference is almost entirely due to cost per respondent: it costs $0.35 to reach a person through leafletting or online ads while it costs $3.30* to reach a person through in-person videos. Perhaps there’s a lesson here: if two interventions have a roughly similar effect size but significantly different costs per person reached, choosing the lower cost intervention can greatly increase impact per dollar.
*In your Guesstimate model for pigs, you use a cost per person of $2.80 for 2D video and $2.90 for VR video. Why is the cost per person higher for chickens?
Finally, it’s worth noting that the above analysis of the Reducetarian Labs study is limited to the respondents’ reported reduction in consumption of chicken. (The respondents also reported reducing consumption of other animal products.)
Hey RandomEA, just wanted to weigh in here that Marcus and I are very grateful for your comments. I’ve dedicated a week of my research time this month to go through them and update the post as well as do some ideas for follow-up research looking at the Reducetarian Labs study data.