Vegetarianism and Veganism from a Social Innovation Perspective Master’s Thesis for the attainment of the academic degree Master of Science in the field of study Environmental System Sciences: Sustainability Management at the Institute of Systems Sciences, Innovation and Sustainability Research University of Graz submitted by Heidrun Petritz, BSc Supervisor: Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Tobias Stern Graz, March 2017 Author’s Declaration Unless otherwise indicated in the text or references, or acknowledged above, this thesis is entirely the product of my own scholarly work. Any inaccuracies of fact or faults in reasoning are my own and accordingly I take full responsibility. This thesis has not been submitted either in whole or part, for a degree at this or any other university or institution. This is to certify that the printed version is equivalent to the submitted electronic one. Date Signature I Acknowledgement I would like to express my thanks to my supervisor Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Tobias Stern, who was available for me at any time in order to give helpful advice and precious feedback. Thank you so much for your outstanding commitment and constant support. Furthermore, words of gratitude need to be addressed to my friends and colleagues who were understanding and supportive in every sense. In this context, I thank Michaela Leitgeb and Ursula Ploll, who proofread my thesis and gave constructive advice. My heartfelt thanks go to my family that supported me in every condition of life. A special thank to my mother, who always helped and encouraged me whenever I needed her. Thank you for everything! II Abstract The number of vegetarians and vegans in Austria and other Western countries increases steadily. For that reason, this trend also gains in importance for science. Yet, plant-based diets have frequently been investigated in the medical context, with regard to the motive structure and environmental effects. On the contrary, the current thesis considers vegetarianism and veganism from a social innovation perspective. The attempt is to find out whether the application of the concept of social innovations within the scope of plant-based diets is possible and meaningful. In the course of a literature research relevant information and definitions have been compiled and combined with results from an empirical survey. The results of the master’s thesis are based on statements of 134 self-defined vegans, 90 vegetarians, 151 conscientious omnivores and 145 omnivores. Particularly animal welfare and environmentalism are stated as main reasons for a vegetarian or vegan dietary change. Because of the associated contributions to animal and climate protection, it is possible to respond to socially relevant challenges. In conjunction with the emergence of social movements, vegetarianism and veganism can be linked with the development of social innovations. The high share of vegetarians and vegans within the socio-environment of individuals with similar dietary habits provides a corresponding indication. Due to the interpretation of empirical results and the alignment with scientific literature, vegetarianism and veganism seem to basically be interpretable as social innovation. However, further research on beneficial factors for the diffusion of vegetarianism and veganism as social innovation is necessary. III Kurzzusammenfassung Die Anzahl von in Österreich und anderen westlichen Ländern lebenden Vegetariern und Veganern steigt immer weiter an. Aus diesem Grund wird dieser Trend auch für die Wissenschaft immer wichtiger. Bisher wurden pflanzliche Ernährungsweisen häufig im medizinischen Kontext, in Bezug auf die Motivlage und die Umweltauswirkungen untersucht. Im Gegensatz dazu, betrachtet die vorliegende Masterarbeit Vegetarismus und Veganismus aus der Perspektive einer sozialen Innovation. Es wird der Versuch unternommen herauszufinden, ob die Anwendung des Konzepts sozialer Innovationen im Rahmen pflanzlicher Ernährungsweisen möglich und sinnvoll ist. Im Zuge einer Literaturrecherche wurden relevante Informationen und Definitionen erhoben und mit Ergebnissen aus einer empirischen Umfrage zusammengeführt. Die Ergebnisse der Masterarbeit basieren auf Angaben von 134 selbstdefinierten Veganern, 90 Vegetariern, 151 bewussten Fleischessern und 145 Omnivoren. Insbesondere Tierwohl sowie Umweltschutz werden als Hauptgründe für eine vegetarische oder vegane Ernährungsumstellung genannt. Durch die damit einhergehenden Beiträge zu Tier- und Klimaschutz kann gesellschaftlich relevanten Herausforderungen begegnet werden. In Verbindung mit der Entstehung von gesellschaftlichen Bewegungen sind Vegetarismus und Veganismus mit der Entwicklung sozialer Innovationen in Zusammenhang zu bringen. Einen entsprechenden Anhaltspunkt bietet der hohe Anteil an Vegetariern und Veganern im sozialen Umfeld von Menschen mit ähnlichen Ernährungsweisen. Durch die Interpretation von empirischen Resultaten und den Abgleich mit wissenschaftlicher Literatur scheinen Vegetarismus und Veganismus im Grunde als soziale Innovation interpretierbar zu sein. Weitere Forschung bezüglich begünstigender Faktoren für die Diffusion von Vegetarismus und Veganismus als soziale Innovation sind jedoch notwendig. IV Table of Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 2. Concepts and Definitions ..................................................................................................... 3 2.1. Plant-based Diets ....................................................................................................... 3 2.1.1. Vegetarianism ......................................................................................................... 4 2.1.2. Veganism ................................................................................................................ 6 2.2. Conscientious Omnivorism ......................................................................................... 7 2.3. Omnivorism ................................................................................................................ 8 2.4. Social Innovation ........................................................................................................ 8 2.5. Linking Social Innovation with Vegetarianism and Veganism ...................................... 9 3. Methods ............................................................................................................................. 12 3.1. Research Design .......................................................................................................12 3.1.1. Sampling Strategies ...............................................................................................12 3.1.2. Pre-Test .................................................................................................................15 3.1.3. Survey Structure and Sample .................................................................................15 3.2. Demographics of Survey Participants ........................................................................16 3.3. Evaluation Methods ...................................................................................................20 3.3.1. Correlations ............................................................................................................20 3.3.2. Nonparametric tests ...............................................................................................21 4. Results ............................................................................................................................... 22 4.1. General results ..........................................................................................................22 4.2. Vegetarians ...............................................................................................................23 4.3. Vegans ......................................................................................................................24 4.4. Conscientious Omnivores ..........................................................................................25 4.5. Omnivores .................................................................................................................26 4.6. Comparison of Dietary Groups ...................................................................................27 4.6.1. Average Annual Consumption ................................................................................28 4.6.2. Amounts of Vegetarians and Vegans in Socio-environment ...................................29 4.7. Comparison of Vegetarians and Vegans ....................................................................36 4.7.1. Motive Structure .....................................................................................................36 4.7.2. Socio-environmental Influence ...............................................................................38 4.7.3. External influence ...................................................................................................39 4.7.4. Diffusion Curves .....................................................................................................41 5. Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 45 6. Summary and Conclusion .................................................................................................. 49 List of