Veganism is a growing dietary trend in the U.S. and scientific evidence is showing that it may be necessary for more people to make the lifestyle change in the near future. However, previous research shows predominantly negative attitudes toward vegans among omnivores. The purpose of the present study was to measure attitude change in millennials after viewing a documentary about the environmental and ethical implications surrounding veganism in order to see if documentaries are an effective tool in changing the stigma of veganism. The study utilized a questionnaire with seven scales measuring attitude change toward vegans, animal welfare, and the environment. In addition, the questionnaire included the new ecological paradigm scale, behavioral beliefs, control beliefs, in-group meat eating identification, and perceived threat of veganism. The study implemented a pretest-posttest experimental design with two treatment groups. Each group was shown a different 35-minute segment form the documentary “Cowspiracy”. The study showed positive attitude change after watching the documentary for attitudes toward vegans and the environment. There were statistically significant results between attitudes toward veganism, the environment and animal welfare based on political affiliation. Democrats had more positive attitudes about each of the topics compared to republicans after viewing the documentary. This research is significant because it shows a possibility for creating more positive attitudes toward veganism after showing a documentary such as “Cowspiracy” to non-vegans. The results lay a solid foundation for future research in this area by establishing that attitudes have the possibility of changing after watching the documentary “Cowspiracy”. There is an opportunity for further research to take what we’ve learned about changing attitudes to apply toward behavior change with the implementation of qualitative research. / A Thesis submitted to the School of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Spring Semester 2018. / April 19, 2018. / Includes bibliographical references. / Patrick Merle, Professor Directing Thesis; Brian Graves, Committee Member; Jay Rayburn, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_653394 |
| Contributors | Connon, Courtnee (author), Merle, Patrick F (professor directing thesis), Graves, Brian (committee member), Rayburn, J. D. (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Communication and Information (degree granting college), School of Communication (degree granting departmentdgg) |
| Publisher | Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text, master thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (69 pages), computer, application/pdf |
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