Meat your conscience: a semiotic square analysis of meat consumption through the lens of self-awareness theory

Purpose Meat consumption is increasingly contested because of health risks, environmental impacts and animal welfare concerns. However, the shift towards plant-based diets remains underexplored in marketing research. This study aims to examine how consumers make sense of their dietary choices – whether to continue eating or to reject meat. Design/methodology/approach This study uses an exploratory qualitative design, drawing on semi-structured interviews with 21 participants representing meat and meat-free dietary profiles. The participants were recruited through purposive convenience sampling. The interview transcripts were systematically analysed using a lexical and thematic approach. Self-awareness theory (SAT) was then mobilised as an interpretive lens, first to make sense of the emerging themes and subsequently to structure a semiotic square analysis, revealing and clarifying the semantic meaning categories underlying dietary choices. Findings The semiotic square identifies four consumer typologies – the Convinced Reflective, the Tormented Silent, the Committed Activist and the Anxious Conformist. These profiles illustrate how meat consumption or rejection relates to the interplay between private self-awareness (self-affirmation versus self-criticism) and public self-awareness (commitment versus conformity). Across the profiles, choices are shaped by intertwined hedonic, utilitarian, social and ecological values. Originality/value By articulating SAT with the semiotic square, this paper sheds light on how private self-awareness and public self-awareness are jointly associated in consumer attitudes and decision-making regarding meat consumption. Moreover, the resulting profiles provide a comprehensive perspective on the heterogeneity of consumer beliefs and behaviours, emphasising the complexity of the cognitive and social processes underlying food-related choices.