Stimulating Sustainable Food Choices Using Virtual Reality: Taking an Environmental vs Health Communication Perspective on Enhancing Response Efficacy Beliefs

Marijn H.C. Meijers; Eline S. Smit; Kelly de Wildt; Sonja Greetta Karvonen; Demi van der Plas; L. Nynke van der Laan

doi:10.1080/17524032.2021.1943700

Stimulating Sustainable Food Choices Using Virtual Reality: Taking an Environmental vs Health Communication Perspective on Enhancing Response Efficacy Beliefs

Marijn H.C. Meijers^*, Eline S. Smit, Kelly de Wildt, Sonja Greetta Karvonen, Demi van der Plas, L. Nynke van der Laan

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

43 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Personal response efficacy beliefs are vital in instigating, maintaining, and catalyzing environmental behavior change. In this experimental study (N = 249), we investigated whether such efficacy beliefs could be stimulated using Virtual Reality. In a VR-supermarket, participants would see interactive pop-ups displaying impact messages when they picked up products, these are messages that display the (environmental or health) impact of a product. Our results show that these impact messages are effective in stimulating personal response efficacy beliefs and subsequently pro-environmental food choices. The heightened personal response efficacy beliefs positively affected maintaining and catalyzing behavior change (i.e. positive spill-over) up to two weeks after the VR-experience. The effectiveness of the impact messages did not depend on appeal type (health vs environmental appeal) or modality (text + visual vs text only) of the message. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-22
Number of pages	22
Journal	Environmental Communication
Volume	16
Issue number	1
Early online date	14 Aug 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2021.1943700
Publication status	Published - 2 Jan 2022

Keywords

behavior change
environment
experiment
health
Virtual reality

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10.1080/17524032.2021.1943700

Cite this

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title = "Stimulating Sustainable Food Choices Using Virtual Reality: Taking an Environmental vs Health Communication Perspective on Enhancing Response Efficacy Beliefs",

abstract = "Personal response efficacy beliefs are vital in instigating, maintaining, and catalyzing environmental behavior change. In this experimental study (N = 249), we investigated whether such efficacy beliefs could be stimulated using Virtual Reality. In a VR-supermarket, participants would see interactive pop-ups displaying impact messages when they picked up products, these are messages that display the (environmental or health) impact of a product. Our results show that these impact messages are effective in stimulating personal response efficacy beliefs and subsequently pro-environmental food choices. The heightened personal response efficacy beliefs positively affected maintaining and catalyzing behavior change (i.e. positive spill-over) up to two weeks after the VR-experience. The effectiveness of the impact messages did not depend on appeal type (health vs environmental appeal) or modality (text + visual vs text only) of the message. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.",

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author = "Meijers, {Marijn H.C.} and Smit, {Eline S.} and {de Wildt}, Kelly and Karvonen, {Sonja Greetta} and {van der Plas}, Demi and {van der Laan}, {L. Nynke}",

note = "Funding Information: The research was supported by a Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research grant awarded to the first [grant number Veni.201S.075] and second author [grant number 451-15-028] and an ASCoR (Amsterdam School of Communication Research) grant. The authors would like to thank Eline Jansen for her help in conducting the study and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful and constructive feedback. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.",

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Stimulating Sustainable Food Choices Using Virtual Reality: Taking an Environmental vs Health Communication Perspective on Enhancing Response Efficacy Beliefs. / Meijers, Marijn H.C.; Smit, Eline S.; de Wildt, Kelly et al.
In: Environmental Communication, Vol. 16, No. 1, 02.01.2022, p. 1-22.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

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AU - Meijers, Marijn H.C.

AU - Smit, Eline S.

AU - de Wildt, Kelly

AU - Karvonen, Sonja Greetta

AU - van der Plas, Demi

AU - van der Laan, L. Nynke

N1 - Funding Information: The research was supported by a Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research grant awarded to the first [grant number Veni.201S.075] and second author [grant number 451-15-028] and an ASCoR (Amsterdam School of Communication Research) grant. The authors would like to thank Eline Jansen for her help in conducting the study and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful and constructive feedback. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2022/1/2

Y1 - 2022/1/2

N2 - Personal response efficacy beliefs are vital in instigating, maintaining, and catalyzing environmental behavior change. In this experimental study (N = 249), we investigated whether such efficacy beliefs could be stimulated using Virtual Reality. In a VR-supermarket, participants would see interactive pop-ups displaying impact messages when they picked up products, these are messages that display the (environmental or health) impact of a product. Our results show that these impact messages are effective in stimulating personal response efficacy beliefs and subsequently pro-environmental food choices. The heightened personal response efficacy beliefs positively affected maintaining and catalyzing behavior change (i.e. positive spill-over) up to two weeks after the VR-experience. The effectiveness of the impact messages did not depend on appeal type (health vs environmental appeal) or modality (text + visual vs text only) of the message. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

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Stimulating Sustainable Food Choices Using Virtual Reality: Taking an Environmental vs Health Communication Perspective on Enhancing Response Efficacy Beliefs

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