“Meating halfway”: Exploring the attitudes of meat eaters, veg*ns, and occasional meat eaters toward those who eat meat and those who do not eat meat

Figures & data

Table 1. Diet-based identities, definitions, and frequencies.

Categories (Definitions used in the survey)	Fre-quency	Valid Percent
Omnivore (I eat everything)	147	30.8
Reducetarian (I consciously reduce my meat intake)	85	17.8
Semi-vegetarian (I do not eat a lot of meat, but this is not a conscious decision)	72	15.1
I do not identify myself based on what I eat	41	8.6
Lacto-ovo vegetarian (I do not eat meat, but I eat eggs and dairy)	40	8.4
Pescotarian (I do not eat meat, but I eat fish)	26	5.5
Other	14	2.9
Vegetarian (I eat no animal products)	12	2.5
Vegan (I do not consume any animal products; not as food, not for clothing or other consumption)	11	2.3
Carnivore (I am a true meat eater)	11	2.3
Ovo vegetarian (I do not eat meat and dairy, but I eat eggs)	8	1.7
Pollo-vegetarian (I do not eat red meat, but I eat poultry)	7	1.5
Lacto-vegetarian (I do not eat meat and eggs, but I eat dairy)	3	.6
Total	477	100.0

Table 2. Coding scheme stereotype topics.

Level 1	Level 2	Number of tweets (n)	Number of tweets with negative attitude expressions toward veg*ns (n)	Number of tweets with negative attitude expressions toward meat eaters (n)
Stereotype topics	Focus on animal rights and suffering	98	1	0
	Focus on climate change	40	1	0
	Race	1	0	1
	Gender	2	2	0
	Weight and body size	6	1	0
	Sensitiveness	1	0	0
	Annoying	1	1	0
	Cult	2	1	1
	Political preferences	4	0	4
	Health	5	2	0
Total		160	9	6

Table

	Negative Attitudes Toward Veg*ns Scale	Negative Attitudes Toward Meat Eaters Scale
1.	Vegetarians preach too much about their beliefs and eating habits.	Meat eaters preach too much about their beliefs and eating habits.
2.	Vegetarians should not try to hide their eating habits.	Meat eaters should not try to hide their eating habits.
3.	Vegetarian eating habits are harmful to the traditions of this country.	Meat eaters’ eating habits are harmful to the traditions of this country.
4.	Individuals who don’t eat meat are “wimpier” than individuals who do eat meat.	Individuals who do eat meat are “wimpier” than individuals who don’t eat meat.
5.	You can eat a balanced diet without meat.	You can eat a balanced diet with meat.
6.	Vegetarians are overly concerned about gaining weight.	Meat eaters are overly concerned about gaining weight.
7.	Vegetarians are psychologically unhealthy.	Meat eaters are psychologically unhealthy.
8.	It’s not O.K. to tease someone for being vegetarian.	It’s not O.K. to tease someone for being a meat eater.
9.	Refusing to eat meat is just a phase.	Refusing to eat veg*n is just a phase.
10.	There are some good reasons not to eat meat.	There are some good reasons to eat meat.
11.	Vegetarians are too idealistic.	Meat eaters are too idealistic.
12.	I would approve if my children turned out to be vegetarians.	I would approve if my children turned out to be meat eaters.
13.	It is acceptable for individuals to refuse to eat meat that they have been served.	It is acceptable for individuals to refuse to vegetarian food that they have been served.
14.	Vegetarians respect the rights of others who choose to eat meat.	Meat eaters respect the rights of others who choose not to eat meat.
15.	Vegetarians use their eating habits to attract attention to themselves.	Meat eaters use their eating habits to attract attention to themselves.
16.	People who order vegetarian food often just are being cheap.	People who order meat often just are being cheap.
17.	Many vegetarians secretly eat meat in private.	Many meat eaters secretly eat veg*n food in private.
18.	I avoid interacting with vegetarians whenever possible.	I avoid interacting with meat eaters whenever possible.
19.	Vegetarians believe that they are better than others.	Meat eaters believe that they are better than others are.
20.	People who refuse to eat meat are childish and immature.	People who refuse to eat veg*n food are childish and immature.
21.	Vegetarians often appear sickly and unhealthy.	Meat eaters often appear sickly and unhealthy.

Data availability statement

The data described in this article are openly available in the Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/3ve74).