Urban veg*ns and rural grillmasters? Local context has a moderate effect on meat consumption

This paper deepens the role of what we call ‘local geographies of meat consumption’. The countryside is stereotypically portrayed as a conservative bastion with traditional, meat-centric meals on the table, while urban centres are viewed as progressive hotspots for vegetarians and vegans (veg*ns). Drawing on georeferenced survey data, we demonstrate with a multilevel regression analysis how local community is associated with meat-related diets in the Netherlands. This paper shows the relevance of going beyond the conventional urban-rural constellation, by incorporating a broader and more varied set of local context factors, including political culture, agriculture and food environment. In doing so, we account for individual characteristics such as gender, age, education, and political attitudes. The results show that there are local context effects, albeit to a modest degree. Individual characteristics, most prominently gender, are more strongly associated with veg*n diets. Nevertheless, independent of individual background, people living in highly progressive communities are more likely to follow a flexitarian diet, while those in areas with strong populist radical right support or intensive animal agriculture are more likely to be meat eaters. Our results suggest that the political and agricultural context of local community significantly influences the choice for meat-related diets, rather than urban-rural settings alone.