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Technical University of Munich

What Motivates People to Eat Sustainably and Healthily? Insights from a Study in Germany

Lehrstuhl-News |

Sustainable and healthy eating are key levers in addressing global health and environmental crises – but how can people be motivated to change their dietary behavior accordingly? Daniela Moirano and Professor Joerg Koenigstorfer published a study on the psychological determinants of sustainable and healthy eating among a sample of German consumers, offering concrete starting points for effective interventions.
Nachhaltige und gesunde Ernährung sind ein wichtiger Hebel zur Bewältigung globaler Risiken.


Background and Objectives of the Study

Promoting diets that are both healthy and sustainable is a key objective of international organizations such as the WHO and FAO. Although healthy and sustainable diets often overlap, for example, through their emphasis on plant-based foods, the psychological drivers behind them can differ.

The authors explore these differences in their study, published in the journal Food Quality and Preference. They applied an extended psychological model of dietary behavior – the so-called abridged comprehensive action determination model – and tested it using a large-scale panel study involving more than 600 consumers in Germany. Among the factors assessed were environmental concern, self-efficacy, attitudes, social and personal norms, and eating behaviors.
 

Results and Implications

The results reveal clear differences between healthy and sustainable eating behavior. On the one hand, healthy eating is strongly associated with personal attitudes as well as with personal and social norms. Individuals who are health-conscious and feel that people in their social environment eat healthily are more likely to adopt healthy eating habits. Sustainable eating, on the other hand, is hardly influenced by personal attitudes. Key drivers here are personal and social norms, as well as the belief that one’s own actions can make a real difference (“perceived consumer effectiveness”) and that one is personally capable of acting sustainably (“self-efficacy”). Surprisingly, perceived behavioral control – such as having enough time, money, or access to certain foods – played a negligible role in both behaviors.

What does this mean for policy and society? The findings provide important guidance for designing informational and motivational campaigns:

  • Healthy eating could be promoted effectively by highlighting individual benefits, such as well-being and fitness.
  • Sustainable eating might benefit from campaigns that emphasize social responsibility, the influence of peers, and the positive impact of one’s actions on the environment and society.

Another promising approach: Strengthening individuals’ sense of personal moral responsibility (“I do this because it’s the right thing to do”) proves crucial for both behaviors.
 

About the study
 

Contact

Chair of Sport and Health Management

Prof. Dr. Jörg Königstorfer
Am Olympiacampus 11
80809 Munich

Phone +49.89.289.24559
Fax +49.89.289.24642

info.mgt@mh.tum.de

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