Conceptualization and Measurement of Consumers’ Objection to Dairy Products Consumption in Israel: A New Approach for Understanding and Relating to Anti-Dairy Products Propaganda

In recent years, a wave of antagonism to dairy products is gaining impact in Israel, as well as all over the world. The current study analyzes anti-dairy product consumption messages that are spread all over the Israeli Internet networks. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of 76 items, including videos, photographs, articles, and content pages, identified two types of themes—informational theme and emotional theme—and mutual interaction between them. In a discussion conducted among experts, five meaningful issues, which characterize the objection to dairy products, were formed: medical theme, economical theme, moral theme, ecological theme, and a theme that relates to milk substitutions. Analysis of a questionnaire developed for the purpose of this study showed that these themes were meant to elicit four specific emotions: surprise, parental concern, anxiety, and anger, as disgust, empathy, and hope were found to be correlated with these themes. The suggested scientific model in this article enables analysis of the construct of different types of propaganda and advertising and enables an understanding of how individuals and organizations that want to promote a certain agenda can influence the public’s nutritional habits.