The research group collected data from participants in China through the survey platform Wenjuanxing integrated in the WeChat app. Based on descriptors from Mosa Meats and Impossible foods, a control group was provided with a neutral description of artificial meat products, and test groups were provided with either gain-oriented (for example, “compared to the regular meat products, artificial meat products are green, healthy, and nutritious, and significantly improves animal welfares”) or avoidance-orientated (for example, “compared to the regular meat products, artificial meat products can avoid environmental destruction, animal slaughter, and food safety problems”) messages. Consumers’ regulatory focus — a promotion focus that pursues gain and aspiration, or a prevention focus towards vigilance and the avoidance of loss — was characterized, and a double-bound contingent valuation experiment saw consumers presented with random monetary values and asked to bid higher or lower to gauge their willingness to pay for artificial meats.
The gain and avoidance messages increased consumer willingness to pay for artificial meat, compared with the neutral messages. Regulatory focus of the individual had a significant effect on willingness to pay. When the framing of messages aligned with regulatory focus, willingness to pay was higher. With gain-oriented messaging, promotion-focused consumers were willing to pay more for plant-based meat alternatives and cellular agriculture products than control consumers were, or than consumers who are prevention-focused but received gain-oriented messaging. Conversely, prevention-focused consumers were willing to pay more for artificial meat than promotion-focused consumers were when the messaging was avoidance-oriented.
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