Social drivers and barriers for climate-friendly diet
Project description
Changing the food routines of more Danes into a more plant-based kind of food will contribute to decreasing the climate footprint of Denmark. The purpose of this project is to shed light upon possibilities and obstacles for changing food into more plant-based and thus climate-friendly food in the everyday lives of Danes. In the project, we investigate the quantitative distribution of plant-based eating among Danes in general. At the same time, we investigate how young Danes, 18-30 years old, change and stick to eating more plant-based food. In our research, we have a particular focus on the mundane food practices, and on social norms and social interaction around food. The project is a collaboration between Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen, and Denmark’s Green Think-tank, CONCITO. Thus at the same time, the research results will be used to qualify a new citizen-including change-project under CONCITO, “Green conversation dinners”. The research results will also form a part of CONCITO’s other change-projects, and qualify the input from CONCITO into institutional, business-oriented and political initiatives for action in collaboration with a large number of relevant organizations from the environmental area and the food area.
"Routines are key to a more climate-friendly diet" - Bente Halkier
A more sustainable diet could reduce Denmark’s climate impact, but what drivers and barriers do young Danes encounter when they try to eat a more plant-based and climate-friendly diet?
This was investigated by the ‘Social drivers and barriers to climate-friendlydiets’ (Sociale drivkræfter og barrierer for klimavenlig kost) research project, conducted by the Department of Sociology at the University of Copenhagen in collaboration with CONCITO.
It must be effortless
The first part of the project was a large quantitative study that mapped dietary patterns in Denmark and drivers and barriers for changing food habits. The second was a PhD thesis that analysed these qualitatively based on interviews, mobile diaries and focus groups.
“We found that the top three barriers were habits, taste and – surprisingly – that food was not always the most important thing in daily life. We also found out that the drivers of change revolved around it becoming effortless when people had been doing it for a while. Routines are therefore essential in relation to eating more climate-friendly food. People’s social network were also found to be crucial,”
says head of the project Professor Bente Halkier from the Department of Sociology at the University of Copenhagen.
Conversation dinners for young people
The third part of the project was a change project, where over 350 young people participated in 15 green conversation dinners. The focus was on how young people can change their eating habits, and what prevents the young generation from adopting a climatefriendly diet.
The project results also helped to put climate-friendly food habits on the agenda and to qualify political initiatives in this area.
