The Roles of Social Class, Need for Differentiation, and Moral Identity Symbolization in Increasing Cultured Meat Acceptance

Macromarketing scholars have long explored connections between marketing, markets, and society, especially in contexts where consumption habits significantly impact environmental and social outcomes. Our work contributes to this discussion by investigating how social structures and ethical identities affect sustainable shifts in food consumption — particularly the transition from conventional meat to cultured meat (also known as clean meat or lab-grown meat). In the first of two studies with US consumers, we demonstrate that social class positively affects willingness to consume cultured meat, primarily for individuals with higher moral identity symbolization. In the second study, we find that higher-class consumers, compared to lower-class consumers, are more motivated to distinguish themselves, which explains their willingness to try cultured meat, particularly when they have high moral identity symbolization. These findings are valuable to macromarketing researchers, consumers, managers, and public policymakers.