Executive summary: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials finds no well-validated approaches for reducing overall meat and animal product consumption, though reducing specifically red and processed meat consumption shows more promise.
Key points:
Analysis of 35 papers (41 studies, 112 interventions) shows very small overall effects (SMD = 0.07) for reducing meat consumption
Main intervention approaches tested: Persuasion, Choice Architecture, Psychology, and combinations—none showed strong effectiveness
Red/processed meat reduction specifically showed larger effects (SMD = 0.25) than general meat reduction, but may lead to increased chicken/fish consumption
More rigorous studies tend to show smaller effects than less rigorous ones, suggesting previous literature may overestimate intervention effectiveness
Many promising approaches (e.g., extended contact with farm animals, price manipulations, disgust activation) await rigorous evaluation
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, andcontact us if you have feedback.
Executive summary: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials finds no well-validated approaches for reducing overall meat and animal product consumption, though reducing specifically red and processed meat consumption shows more promise.
Key points:
Analysis of 35 papers (41 studies, 112 interventions) shows very small overall effects (SMD = 0.07) for reducing meat consumption
Main intervention approaches tested: Persuasion, Choice Architecture, Psychology, and combinations—none showed strong effectiveness
Red/processed meat reduction specifically showed larger effects (SMD = 0.25) than general meat reduction, but may lead to increased chicken/fish consumption
More rigorous studies tend to show smaller effects than less rigorous ones, suggesting previous literature may overestimate intervention effectiveness
Many promising approaches (e.g., extended contact with farm animals, price manipulations, disgust activation) await rigorous evaluation
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.