Karine Lacroix et al., Matthew Goldberg, Jennifer Marlon, Seth Rosenthal, Matthew Ballew, Xinran Wang, Martial Jefferson, Jillian Semaan and Anthony Leiserowitz
Grades
9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, AP® / College
Subjects
Science, Social Studies, Mathematics, Health
Resource Types
Scientific Papers or Reports
Charts, Graphs, and Tables
Regional Focus
North America, United States
Understanding Differences in Americans' Motivations for Eating Plant-Rich Foods
This report presents the findings of a survey to determine what motivates Americans to have a more plant-based diet and provides recommendations to encourage people further.
The data collected from the survey is presented in graphs, segmenting parts of the population based on their motivations.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The article presents the findings through a series of charts while discussing the conclusions drawn from said findings.
This article is a great way to introduce students to how population segmentation and surveys are used in scientific studies.
After reading the article, students can participate in the survey.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with reading and interpreting graphs.
The study is specific to the motivations of Americans. Students should be aware that these findings do not reflect the motivations and barriers of people living in other countries.
Students should click the hyperlinks related to the Six Americas Survey to better understand the final population segmentation presented in the article.
Differentiation
As a challenge, have more advanced students try to interpret the data presented in the graphs before reading the researchers' conclusions.
This resource can also be used in statistics classes during lessons about interpreting data, means, confidence intervals, and research.
As an extension, have students follow the instructions at the bottom of the article to use the survey tool and determine their community's willingness and motivation to adopt a plant-based diet.
Have students read this article to learn more about the potential of adopting plant-rich diets to reduce carbon emissions.
Scientist Notes
The website provides a brief overview of a study in the process of being published, a link to the study including raw data and R script is provided. The study looks at the motivation of Americans to incorporate plant-based foods into their diets, the surveyed motives include: health, environment, and ethical reasons. Potential messaging strategies are also discussed in an effort to ensure that corporations can more effectively market their products. This resource would be a great addition to a classroom discussing climate change and what individuals can do to reduce their carbon footprints. A marketing or computer coding class would also enjoy this resource as an example of effective marketing and data analysis.
Standards
This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.
Mathematics
Statistics & Probability: Interpreting Categorical & Quantitative Data (9-12)
HSS.ID.A.4 Use the mean and standard deviation of a data set to fit it to a normal distribution and to estimate population percentages. Recognize that there are data sets for which such a procedure is not appropriate. Use calculators, spreadsheets, and tables to estimate areas under the normal curve.
Statistics & Probability: Making Inferences & Justifying Conclusions (9-12)
HSS.IC.B.3(+) Recognize the purposes of and differences among sample surveys, experiments, and observational studies; explain how randomization relates to each.
