Meaty Politics: The Moralization of Meat Across Political Lines

By exploring the moral framing of meat consumption across political lines, this first paper of my dissertation aims to address the urgent need for effective meat reduction strategies – an important target for climate change mitigation, public health, and animal welfare. Integrating quantitative and qualitative methods, this research investigates how media and political elites morally frame meat consumption and how these frames differ across ideological divides. While meat consumption is often rationalized and viewed as morally benign or justified, understanding how this issue is (de)moralized is essential for developing effective interventions. By examining how each political side frames meat consumption and reduction, this study seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of these narratives and their implications.