Gen Z and sustainable diets: Application of The Transtheoretical Model and the theory of planned behaviour

Abstract

The impact of the agri-food system on the global environment is far reaching. Between water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and land use, agriculture is one of the most environmentally damaging industries on the planet. A shift towards a more sustainable food system is necessary, and this may be achieved through the collective demand behaviour of consumers. We administered an online survey to 733 Gen Zers (18–25 yrs) to determine their current action stage for 15 sustainable dietary behaviours using the first four change stages from the Transtheoretical Model. We also applied the theory of planned behaviour to determine the role of subjective norms, attitudes, control, food literacy, food sustainability concern, and environmental values in predicting both action and inaction for these dietary behaviors. Encouragingly, the majority of youth reported being in a change stage (contemplation or preparation) across all sustainable dietary behaviours. Multinomial logistic regression analysis highlighted the importance of attitude about a behaviour's efficacy and food literacy in predicting action for most behaviors. These findings inform stage-specific education and policy initiatives aimed at fully engaging Gen Z in sustainable dietary behaviour.