Persuading people to eat more plant-based foods is important for addressing climate change. One promising strategy is “relational organizing,” which involves people encouraging friends, family, or others they already know to make changes instead of relying on messages from strangers or institutions.

Because social influence can be powerful, researchers are increasingly interested in climate solutions that work through relationships rather than focusing only on individual choice. This study examined whether different types of messages are more effective at encouraging this kind of peer-to-peer influence, especially among people who are already eating at least somewhat plant-based.

The researchers surveyed 2,902 U.S. adults who identified as vegan, vegetarian, or actively reducing their consumption of animal products. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of six short messages. One was unrelated to the rest and served as the control. The remaining five messages formed the treatment and focused on encouraging others to eat plant-based. These approached the topic from different angles, including:

• Confidence in one’s own plant-based identity (e.g., being skilled at cooking with plant-based ingredients)
• Supportive social norms (e.g., how interest in plant-based eating is growing)
• Confidence in one’s ability to encourage others (e.g., feeling called to activism)
• Worries about negative reactions (e.g., not all people who eat meat are defensive about it)
• Concerns about seeming hypocritical (e.g., not having to be a strict vegan to talk to others about plant-based eating)

After reading the message, participants reflected briefly and then reported how likely they were to encourage someone they knew to eat more plant-based foods. They also reported how likely they were to take even more specific action, such as sharing a plant-based recipe, suggesting a vegetarian or vegan restaurant, or initiating a conversation about the benefits of a plant-based diet.

The results showed that all but one of the messages increased people’s intentions to encourage others to eat more plant-based. Messages that emphasized confidence in one’s ability to talk to others and not feeling hypocritical were especially effective. Messages that addressed concerns about backlash had no effect overall.

However, none of the messages made people more likely to commit to concrete first steps like actually starting a conversation. This suggests that relational organizing messages may increase motivation and intention, but on their own may not be enough to move people to action.

Importantly, the study found that people reducing meat consumption, not just vegans, were interested in communicating to others about dietary change. This means that flexitarians and others cutting back on animal products, a much larger group than vegans, may play a key role in spreading plant-based eating through their social networks. People were also more willing to encourage others when they believed it was socially acceptable to influence what others eat. Thus, for advocates, the findings suggest that building confidence and social permission may be crucial for turning plant-based intentions into meaningful social change.