Values and beliefs of vegetarians and omnivores

Following the claim by some anthropologists and sociologists that 1 symboli c meaning of meat is a preference for hierarchical domination (C. J. Adams, 1990; N. Fiddes, 1989; D. D. Heisrey, 1990; J. Twigg, 1983), the authors c ompared the values and beliefs of vegetarians and omnivores in 2 studies co nducted in New Zealand. They compared the full range of vegetarians and omn ivores on right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, human values, and consumption values. The participants tending toward omnivorism differed from those leaning toward veganism and vegetarianism in 2 principa l ways: The omnivores (a) were more likely to endorse hierarchical dominati on and (b) placed less importance on emotional states. Accordingly, the acc eptance or rejection of meat co-varied with the acceptance or rejection of the values associated with meat; that finding suggests that individuals con sume meat and embrace its symbolism in ways consistent with their self-defi nitions.