Plant-based protein foods are less sensitive to price changes than animal-based ones, with differences across income and education levels

Shifting demand toward plant-based proteins is an important sustainability transition, yet adoption remains limited. Here, we used longitudinal loyalty data from 29,131 Finnish consumers to estimate differences in price elasticity between plant- and animal-based proteins in Study 1. Study 2a examined socioeconomic status as a moderator of price elasticity, while Studies 2b and 2c assessed income and education separately. Study 3 compared estimates when measured at the individual versus the neighborhood level. A robustness check replicated analyses in Canada. Two-level mixed-effects regression models revealed that consumers were less price elastic to plant proteins than animal proteins. Socioeconomic status moderated both, but disparities were over three times larger for animal proteins. Income moderated price elasticity, while education’s effect was stronger for animal proteins. Neighborhood-level measures yielded similar patterns. Results were comparable in Canada. Differences in price sensitivity by socioeconomic status are central to the protein transition and should be incorporated into future sustainability interventions. Consumers changed meat purchases more than plant-based foods when prices shifted, with bigger differences by income, according to a two-year study of 87,000 shoppers in Finland and Canada.