A pilot test to combat the water crisis through transformative messaging: an application of message framing and psychological reactance theory

The U.S. is currently facing a growing national water crisis and a significant contributor to this crisis, meat consumption, has been the target of numerous campaigns calling for it to be eliminated from diets. These campaigns have yielded inconsistent results. The current study outlines an alternative approach by promoting meat sourced from water-conscious farms as opposed to the reduction or elimination of meat from one’s diet. Guided by Psychological Reactance Theory (PRT; Brehm & Brehm, Citation1981), participants (N = 240) viewed one of two experimental messages (directive loss-frame vs. autonomous gain-frame) advocating for smarter meat consumption rather than eliminating meat consumption. Results revealed that participants exposed to autonomous gain-framed messages were more likely to support meat purchases from water-conscious farms.