The interaction of religion and family members’ influence on food decisions

While it is well understood how religious observance directly impacts diet through strict rules, indirect effects are more ambiguous. Using a survey of Israeli families containing information on family members’ likes and dislikes, we assess how religious observance alters the influence of each family member on the types of foods purchased. We find that orthodox beliefs tend to favor the husband and younger children, while more secular beliefs tend to favor the wife and older children. This study shows that integrating religiosity and gender refines the targeting of the marketing campaigns for meat.