Who do we talk about when we talk about flexitarians?

Area of Science:

• Consumer research
• Social sciences
• Sustainability studies

Background:

• Flexitarianism is increasingly studied as a dietary approach to mitigate environmental impacts of meat consumption.
• The growing popularity of flexitarian diets necessitates a clear understanding within consumer research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically examine the definition and application of the term 'flexitarian' in empirical research.
• To identify and discuss key challenges in understanding flexitarian consumer behavior and its prevalence.
• To assess the scientific validity and utility of 'flexitarian' as a distinct consumer category.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of popular, historical, and scientific literature on flexitarianism.
• Analysis of how the term 'flexitarian' is operationalized in empirical social scientific research.
• Discussion of definitional ambiguities and methodological limitations.

Main Results:

• No universally agreed-upon definition of 'flexitarian' exists, hindering accurate population share estimations.
• Operationalization often includes frequent meat-eaters, potentially inflating prevalence and impact assessments.
• Limited scientific discourse exists on whether 'flexitarians' constitute a distinct, empirically useful consumer group.

Conclusions:

• The term 'flexitarianism' faces significant definitional and methodological challenges in current research.
• Overly inclusive definitions risk overestimating the prevalence and transformative potential of this dietary pattern.
• Future research needs clearer definitions and methodologies to accurately study flexitarian consumers and their impact.