Does in-group identity affect sustainable food consumption?: The impact of using sustainability labels on consumers perception of hedonic and non-hedonic foodstuffs

The sector for food and agriculture has an extensive impact on climate change, there the understanding of sustainable consumer behaviour from a psychological stance is more important than ever. The present study explores the association between the extent to which consumers perceive themselves as sustainable and their attributions made regarding sustainable and non- sustainable foodstuffs. It is hypothesized that in-group identity has a significant main effect on the experience of sustainable foodstuffs. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on higher education students (n=166), using the Adjusted In-Group Identity Scale and the Food Attributes Assessment (FAA). In a mixed-model design, one-sample t-tests and repeated measures ANOVAs were run. Analysis showed that in-group identity only had a small influence on food attribution. Overall, the presence of a sustainability label prompts a sustainability halo regardless of ones’ identity. The effect was strongest for non-hedonic...Show moreThe sector for food and agriculture has an extensive impact on climate change, there the understanding of sustainable consumer behaviour from a psychological stance is more important than ever. The present study explores the association between the extent to which consumers perceive themselves as sustainable and their attributions made regarding sustainable and non- sustainable foodstuffs. It is hypothesized that in-group identity has a significant main effect on the experience of sustainable foodstuffs. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on higher education students (n=166), using the Adjusted In-Group Identity Scale and the Food Attributes Assessment (FAA). In a mixed-model design, one-sample t-tests and repeated measures ANOVAs were run. Analysis showed that in-group identity only had a small influence on food attribution. Overall, the presence of a sustainability label prompts a sustainability halo regardless of ones’ identity. The effect was strongest for non-hedonic foodstuffs among participants that do not identify as being sustainable.Show less

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Does in-group identity affect sustainable food consumption? The impact of using sustainability labels on consumers perception of hedonic and non-hedonic foodstuffs