Round 1
Prescribing vegetarian or flexitarian diets leads to sustained reduction in meat intake
We awarded funding to Dr. Brock Bastian (University of Melbourne), Jesse Marks (Animals Australia), and Mark Pershin (Less Meat Less Heat) for this project. The purpose of this research is to investigate avenues through which to overcome self-protection motives when …
Tensions within and between vegans and vegetarians: Meat-free motivations matter
We awarded funding to Dr. Cara MacInnis (University Calgary) and Dr. Gordon Hodson (Brock University) for this project. The purpose of this research is to examine how different members of the animal advocacy movement view each other, and test whether …
Meet your meat: Using virtual and real contact to reduce meat consumption
We awarded funding to Dr. Steve Loughnan (University of Edinburgh) and Dr. Jared Piazza (Lancaster University) for this project. The purpose of this research is to test the effects of virtual and real contact with farmed animals.
The Impact of New Products on Ethical Beliefs
We awarded funding to Dr. Eva Vivalt (Australian National University) and Bobbie Macdonald (Stanford University) for this project. The purpose of this research is to estimate how much people are willing to pay for cultured meat, and test whether alternative …
Testing self-persuasion as a technique for reducing meat consumption
We awarded funding to Dr. Jared Piazza (Lancaster University), Dr. Steve Loughnan (University of Edinburgh) and Dr. Melanie Joy (Beyond Carnism) for this project. The purpose of this research is to test a novel approach for persuading omnivores to reconsider …
Round 2
We awarded funding to Mercy For Animals for this project. The purpose of this research is to determine which characteristics of social media posts are associated with the highest number of impressions, to maximize the number of people reached with …
Examining the effects of moral blame in campaigns promoting veganism
We awarded funding to Dr. Michal Reifen Tagar (Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya), Deborah Shulman (Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya), and Mor Schnitzer (Anonymous for Animal Rights and Challenge 22+) for this project. The purpose of this research is to test the efficacy of …
Messages to Overcome Naturalness Concerns in Clean Meat Acceptance
We awarded funding to Dr. Jo Anderson (Faunalytics), Che Green (Faunalytics), Chris Bryant (University of Bath), Kris Gasteratos (Cellular Agriculture Academic Society/Florida Atlantic University), Jamie Macfarlane (Good Food Institute/Stanford University), and Jeff Rotman (Western University) for this project. The purpose …
Nudging for good: An experimental analysis of moral aversion to the consumption of animal products
We awarded funding to Dr. Lisa Kramer (University of Toronto), Dr. Nicola Lacetera (University of Toronto), and Dr. Matthew Feinberg (University of Toronto) for this project. The purpose of this research is to test the effects of different animal advocacy …
The price of moral values: Motivated beliefs, selective search, and food consumption
We awarded funding to Dr. Joshua Tasoff (Claremont Graduate University), Dr. Emiliano Huet-Vaughn (Middlebury College), and Dr. Eva Vivalt (Australian National University) for this project. The purpose of this research is to measure people’s avoidance of factory farm messaging, and …
We awarded funding to Dr. Emma Thomas (Flinders University), Dr. Winnifred Louis (University of Queensland), Dr. Catherine Amiot (Université du Québec à Montréal), Dr. Pascal Molenberghs (Monash University), Dr. Monique Crane (Macquarie University), and Dr. Jean Decety (University of Chicago) …
Round 3
The impact of animal advocacy books on attitudes and behaviour
We awarded funding to Dr. Kristof Dhont (University of Kent) and Dr. Gordon Hodson (Brock University) for this project. The purpose of this research is to test the effectiveness of reading an animal advocacy book on attitudes towards animals and …
Advocating plant-based eating: Which messages work for whom, and why?
We awarded funding to João Graça (University of Lisbon), Cristina Godinho (Lisbon University Institute), John Hoeks (University of Groningen), and Marta Matos (University of Lisbon) for this project. Drawing on a stage theory of behavior change and utilizing participants from …
Knowing what you eat: Measuring effectiveness of educational interventions
We awarded funding to Dr. Adam Feltz (University of Oklahoma), Silke Feltz (University of Oklahoma), and Syd Johnson (SUNY: Upstate Medical University) for this study. The purpose is to estimate the relation between knowledge of animal food production and animal …
We awarded funding to Dr. Andrew Jalil (Occidental College), Joshua Tasoff (Claremont Colleges), and Arturo Bustamante (UCLA) for this study. The purpose is to examine the effects of an awareness-raising intervention on meat consumption using individual-level food purchase data.
Pledging a meat-free month: An experience sampling study with smartphones
We awarded funding to Dr. Jared Piazza (Lancaster University), Dr. David Ellis (Lancaster University), Dr. Matthew Ruby (La Trobe University), and Dr. Tamara Pfeiler (Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz). This project will look at the effectiveness of meat-free pledges and the consequences …
Developing a targeted approach to animal advocacy campaigns
We awarded funding to Drs. Chris Hopwood & Wiebke Bleidorn (University of California, Davis) for this project. The purpose of this research is to develop a model of individual and group differences in motives for vegetarianism so that animal advocacy …
Round 4
Investigating the role of do-gooder derogation and stereotyping in response to vegan advocacy
We awarded funding to Madeline Judge and Julian Fernando (The University of Melbourne) for this study. The purpose of this research is to examine the role of vegan stereotyping, anticipated moral reproach, and the framing of moral motivations in non-vegans’ …
Establishing a field of research for wild animal suffering
Funding was provided to Oscar Horta (University of Santiago de Compostela), Asher Soryl (University of Otago), Daniel Dorado (University Carlos III of Madrid), and Max Carpendale for this study. The purpose of this research project is to explore how to …
A review of advocacy interventions deployed by grassroots vegan activists
We awarded funding to Stephen Eisenman, Harriet Festing (Anthropocene Alliance), and Meagan Richard (University of Illinois at Chicago) for this project. Across the United States, grassroots vegan activists are organizing local Meetups, hosting festivals, organizing chef competitions, and adopting other …
Strategic communication research to advance legal rights for nonhuman animals
Funding was awarded to Garrett Broad (Fordham University), working in collaboration with the staff of the Nonhuman Rights Project (Kevin Schneider, Steven Wise, and Lauren Choplin). The purpose of this research is to explore public perceptions of legal rights for …
We awarded funding to Oscar Horta (Animal Ethics) for this project. The purpose of this project is to gain insight into the lines of research on wild animal suffering most likely to be accepted by and appealing to biologists and …
Investigating and optimizing V-label effectiveness
We awarded funding to Matthew Ruby (La Trobe University), Dr. João Graça (University of Lisbon) and Eero Olli (ProVeg International) for this project. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of “vegetarian,” “vegan,” and “plant-based” labels on …
Round 5
Plant-based meat and dynamic norm messages
We awarded funding to Keri Szjeda (The Good Food Institute), Tessa Urbanovich (Chapman University), and Matti Wilks (University of Queensland) for this project. The purpose of this research is to test the effectiveness of dynamic normative messages about plant-based meat …
We awarded pilot funding to Chris Bryant (University of Bath), Keri Szjeda, Varun Deshpande, and Nishant Parekh (The Good Food Institute) for this project. The purpose of this research is to compare the appeal of plant-based and cultured meat in …
We awarded funding to David Meyer (independent) for this study. An important part of getting people to reduce their consumption of animal products is to provide them with analogs that have a similar taste, feel, and price. Meat alternatives have …
Plant-based meals and menu design
We awarded funding to Keri Szjeda (The Good Food Institute), Tessa Urbanovich (Chapman University), and Matti Wilks (University of Queensland) for this work. The purpose of this research is to test various restaurant menu design interventions in order to determine …
Round 6
Understanding the Impact of Ballot Initiatives
We awarded funding to Marcus A. Davis (Rethink Priorities) and Peter Hurford (Rethink Priorities) for this project. The purpose of this study is to conduct a retrospective analysis US ballot initiatives, producing a shallow review on the topic, and produce …
Round 7
Response to Emerging Messaging around Cell-based Meat: Nationwide Focus Groups
We awarded funding to Dr. Courtney Dillard (Willamette University) for this study. The project aims to uncover themes in regards to cell base meat that will help inform future messaging decisions on the part of both animal advocates and product …
Perspectives on Wild Animal Suffering Advocacy in China
We awarded funding to Cyndi Rook (Animal Ethics), Courtney Henry, and Yau-Shun (Vincent) Chow for this project. The purpose of this research is to determine the best ways for groups outside of China to help promote advocacy in China currently, …
Retaining Vegans and Vegetarians: A Longitudinal Investigation
We awarded funding to Dr. Jo Anderson (Faunalytics) and Dr. Marina Milyavskaya (Carleton University) for this study. The purpose of this longitudinal research is to examine dietary shifts and success over the first six months of a vegan or vegetarian …
We awarded funding to Dr. Matthew Ruby (La Trobe University), Dr. A. Janet Tomiyama (University of California, Los Angeles), Daniel L. Rosenfeld (University of California, Los Angeles), and Dr. Jared Piazza (Lancaster University) for this study. This project will examine …
Round 8
We awarded funding to Luke Smillie (from the University of Melbourne) for this work. The purpose of this project is to explore and then attempt to confirm differential responses to three vegetarian appeals—two highlighting moral concerns (animal welfare, the environment) …
Vegan Advocacy in India: An Exploratory Study
We awarded funding to Nirupama Sarma (principal investigator) for this work. The purpose of this project is to explore vegan advocacy and communication in India.
We awarded funding to Cameron Semper and Alexei Savchenko (both from the University of Calgary) for this work. The purpose of this project is to advance, accelerate, and expand the work to produce and characterize mitogenic growth factors for use …
Consumer acceptance of cell-cultured and plant-based meat in South Africa
We awarded funding to Ludwig Raal (Credence Institute), Angelique Lazarus (Credence Institute), Andrea Marais (University of Witwatersrand), Louise Polders (Nudge), Keri Szejda (North Mountain Consulting Group), Claire Tapscott (Credence Institute), and Jayson van der Walt (Mzansi Meat Co.) for this …
Consumer perceptions of next-generation materials
We awarded funding to Keri Szejda (North Mountain Consulting Group) and Nicole Rawling (Material Innovation Initiative) for this work. The purpose of this project is to obtain data on consumer attitudes, purchase interest, and nomenclature preferences for next-generation materials (plant-based …
A longitudinal study of meat reduction over time in the UK
We awarded funding to Christopher Bryant (University of Bath) for this project. The purpose of this research is to identify various predictors of change in animal product consumption using a longitudinal design and develop and validate a vegetarian inclination scale.
Daily life dynamics of ambivalence about eating meat
We awarded funding to Shiva Pauer, Bastiaan T. Rutjens, and Frenk van Harreveld (all from the University of Amsterdam) for this work. The researchers aim to comprehensively explore when and where people are most susceptible to persuasion attempts for animal …
Moral foundations and animal mind perceptions as predictors of instrumental violence against animals
We awarded funding to Agnieszka Potocka and Agnieszka Golec de Zavala (both from the SWPS University of Social Science and Humanities) for this work. The purpose of this project is to examine whether moral foundations and animal mind perceptions are …
Differential responses to vegetarian appeals
We awarded funding to Luke Smillie (University of Melbourne), Nicholas Tan (University of Melbourne), Matthew Ruby (La Trobe University), and Brock Bastian (University of Melbourne) for this project. The purpose of this research is to use experience sampling to understand …