Enabling Positive Tipping Points in Public Support for Food System Transformation

Abstract

Abstract Public opinion is an important factor that shapes the political economy of food system transformation, especially for salient issues such as meat consumption. This chapter provides a scoping review of the academic literature on public opinion regarding sustainable food policy. On this basis, the chapter presents a framework for studying public opinion on food system transformation. The framework accounts for the roles of policy framing, design, and feedback in promoting food system transformation across different political economy and institutional contexts. Using survey experimental evidence with representative samples in China, Germany, and the US, the chapter shows that the combination of policy framing and design is key for securing public support for transformative food policies. The strategic sequence of policies over time might enable positive tipping points in food system transformation. Future research should use more mixed-method approaches to investigate how public opinion interacts with the broader political economy context.