The Vegan Report Navigating the Left and Right Divide | Science of Activism
Feb 18, 2026
Sandro Jenni, a PhD student in psychology at the University of Zurich studying political psychology of plant-based food systems. He discusses political challenges and polarization around food and animal welfare. He compares Swiss and EU data, debates movement strategy about reaching across the left-right divide, and tests messaging approaches like moral reframing versus reasoning.
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Left Right Values Shape Food Policy Priorities
- Political values predict food priorities across Switzerland with environmental goals stronger on the left and domestic production and meat commitment stronger on the right.
- Study of ~10,000 respondents showed leftists prioritized biodiversity and GHG reduction while right-leaning people prioritized domestic production, farmers' income and low prices.
Animal Welfare Crosses The Left Right Divide
- Animal welfare is less polarized than environmental protection and finds broad support across the Swiss political spectrum.
- Even right-leaning respondents weighed animal welfare equally with domestic production and low food prices, and the factory farming initiative had smaller political effects.
Design Policy Packages That Balance Competing Priorities
- Build reform packages that balance environmental goals with domestic production, farmers' income and low food prices to gain broader public support.
- Sandro Jenni recommends pragmatic policy mixes and broader coalitions to avoid backlash and increase feasibility of systemic change.