Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/208064 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Series/Report no.: 
Discussion Paper No. 164
Publisher: 
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München und Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Collaborative Research Center Transregio 190 - Rationality and Competition, München und Berlin
Abstract: 
Many individuals have empathetic feelings towards animals but frequently consume meat. We investigate this "meat paradox" using insights from the literature on motivated reasoning in moral dilemmata. We develop a model where individuals form self-serving beliefs about the suffering of animals caused by meat consumption in order to alleviate the guilt associated with their dietary choices. The model makes several specific predictions: in particular, it predicts a positive relationship between individuals' taste for meat and their propensity to engage in self-deception, a high price elasticity of demand for meat, and a causal effect of prices and aggregate consumption on individual beliefs.
Subjects: 
motivated reasoning
moral dilemmata
self-deception
meat paradox
meat price-elasticity
animal welfare
JEL: 
D72
D81
D83
D84
Z13
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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