Food expenditure and vegetarianism: the mediating role of employment status in more sustainable and economical food choices in Spain

Vegetarianism has gradually been gaining notice among different social groups and has become more popular. Although linked to higher social status in Western societies, this dietary pattern may also be related to demographic characteristics such as unemployment or economic difficulty. Our study analyses the link between vegetarianism and household food expenditure in Andalusia, Spain, an area rich in fruits, vegetables, and legumes throughout the year. We analysed a representative sample of 2400 observations and ran Ordinary Least Squares regression (OLS) supported by mediation analysis to better understand what factors might influence more sustainable food choices, such as vegetarianism. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to disentangle the differences between vegetarianism and food expenses via the link of employment status in the Mediterranean region. Main findings suggest that food expenditure negatively relates to vegetarian food self-identity, and unemployment status mediates the link between vegetarianism and food expenditure. This could be particularly useful for the promotion of sustainable dietary shift since vegetarian diets can also provide economic benefits, acknowledging more vulnerable social groups during increasingly frequent economic downturns.