Sammanfattning

Whereas large-scale consumption of energy-dense foods contributes to climate change, we investigated whether exposure to climate change-induced food scarcity affects preferences toward these foods. Humans’ current psychological mechanisms have developed in their ancestral evolutionary past to respond to immediate threats and opportunities. Consequently, these mechanisms may not distinguish between cues to actual food scarcity and cues to food scarcity distant in time and space. Drawing on the insurance hypothesis, which postulates that humans should respond to environmental cues to food scarcity through increased energy consumption, we predicted that exposing participants to climate change-induced food scarcity content increases their preferences toward energy-dense foods, with this effect being particularly pronounced in women. Three experiments—including one preregistered laboratory study—confirm this notion. Our findings jointly demonstrate that receiving information about food shortages distant in time and space can influence current food preferences.

Nyckelord

Climate change; Media exposure; Insurance hypothesis; Food preferences; Food scarcity

Publicerad i

Food Quality and Preference
2021, Volym: 91, artikelnummer: 104213

SLU författare

• Christensen, Jacob Dalgaard

  • Institutionen för ekonomi, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

Globala målen

SDG13 Vidta omedelbara åtgärder för att bekämpa klimatförändringarna och dess konsekvenser
SDG2 Avskaffa hunger, uppnå tryggad livsmedelsförsörjning och förbättrad nutrition samt främja ett hållbart jordbruk


UKÄ forskningsämne

Nationalekonomi
Socialpsykologi


Publikationens identifierare

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104213

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/111079