Who bears the responsibility? Perceptions of responsibility for eating healthily and sustainably in a representative German sample.

Abstract

Public support for nutrition policies depends on beliefs about responsibility for dietary behaviour. We explored how perceptions of responsibility for healthy and sustainable eating relate to policy acceptability in a representative German sample. Cross-sectional survey data were collected online (December 2023-January 2024). Participants rated the responsibility of the state, individuals, cafeterias, food industry, and parents for healthy and sustainable eating among adults and children, and the acceptability of nutrition policies. K-means cluster analyses identified patterns of responsibility attribution across four domains: adult health, adult sustainability, child health, and child sustainability. Differences in demographics and acceptability were assessed using χ² tests, t-tests, and linear regression. Among 2001 participants, individuals were perceived as most and the state as least responsible for dietary behaviour. Two clusters emerged: a "Shared Responsibility" cluster assigning responsibility to all actors and a "Directed Responsibility" cluster assigning responsibility to industry (adult sustainability) or individuals/parents (other domains). Compared with the Directed Responsibility cluster, participants in the Shared Responsibility cluster reported greater policy acceptability (b = 0.45-0.56, all p < .001). Directed Responsibility participants were older, reported poorer health, and differed politically. Emphasising shared responsibility for dietary behaviour may increase policy acceptability.