Sarah Hölker

Ms. Sarah Hölker


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

8Years (2019-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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18 July 2019 in Sustainability
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
SHSarah Hölker
Sarah Hölker
MMMarie von Meyer-Höfer
Marie von Meyer-Höfer
ASAchim Spiller
Achim Spiller
For a sustainable diet, especially with regard to animal welfare, human health, and environmental issues, a significant reduction in the consumption of animal source foods is essential. The most frequently reported motivations for a meat-reduced or meat-free diet are ethical concerns about animal welfare. This study realizes one of the first consumer segmentations in the context of the human–animal relationship based on domain-specific values; animal ethics. Such a consumer segmentation is relatively stable over time and encompasses the issue of the human–animal relationship in its entirety without limiting itself to a specific question. Based on a comprehensive consumer survey in Germany and by means of a three-step cluster analysis, five consumer segments characterized by different animal-ethical value profiles were defined. A subsequent analysis revealed a link between animal ethics and diet. As a key result, relationism as an animal-ethical position seems to play a key role in the choice of a sustainable diet. About a quarter of the population is characterized by a combination of animal welfare-oriented ethical positions with a clear rejection of relationism, i.e., they do not distinguish between farm animals and companion animals. This specific combination of animal-ethical values is associated with a significantly above-average proportion of flexitarians and vegetarians. Thus, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of existing animal-ethical values and their link to the choice of diet.

2 May 2019 in Food Ethics
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
SHSarah Hölker
Sarah Hölker
MMMarie von Meyer-Höfer
Marie von Meyer-Höfer
ASAchim Spiller
Achim Spiller