Adherence
A 20-minute documentary appealing to health, environmental, and animal welfare concerns does not reduce actual meat and animal product (MAP) consumption over a 12-day period when social desirability bias is minimized.
Watching a documentary about the benefits of reducing meat consumption is unlikely to change your actual eating habits, even if it makes you feel good about the idea. The study shows that while intentions to eat less meat may increase, actual consumption remains unchanged. To make real changes, focus on practical, small-scale adjustments to your environment and habits rather than relying on informational interventions.
We found that the documentary did not decrease MAP consumption when potential social desirability bias was minimized (Studies 1 and 3).
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trials with large sample sizes (n=217 to 574) and rigorous blinding against social desirability bias.
Source
Effectiveness of a theory-informed documentary to reduce consumption of meat and animal products: Three randomized controlled experiments
Maya B. Mathur et al. · 2021
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →