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Attitudes toward milk alternatives and motives for (non-)consumption: an interview study with adolescents from Germany

Szczepanski, Lena,Bahlmann, Laura-Marie,Rötker, Corinna,Eylering, Annike,Fiebelkorn, Florian

Abstract

Background: Consuming alternatives to cow’s milk (CM) could help counteract current environmental problems. Plant-based milk alternatives (PBMA) and precision fermentation-based milk alternatives–also called “animal-free milk” (AFM)–are potentially more sustainable alternatives to CM. Therefore, our study aimed to analyze young peoples’ attitudes toward PBMA and AFM and their motives for/against consuming these milk alternatives. Methods: For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with adolescents from Germany (N = 25; MAge = 17.6). The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The results show that the young people in our study have positive attitudes toward PBMA, as they perceive PBMA as healthy and environmentally friendly. In addition, they have predominantly positive attitudes toward AFM, as they perceive AFM as an environmentally friendly and suitable alternative to CM. Animal welfare and environmental protection motivate the young people in our study to consume these milk alternatives. In contrast, sensory properties (PBMA) and food safety concerns (AFM) were identified as barriers to the consumption of milk alternatives. Conclusions: Adolescents generally have positive attitudes toward milk alternatives, motivated by perceived health, environmental, and animal welfare benefits. However, sensory properties and production-related uncertainties are barriers to consumption. These findings highlight the importance of addressing these concerns to foster the acceptance of sustainable milk alternatives among young people.

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RESEARCH Open Access © The Au ho (s) 2025. Open Access This a icle is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional License, which pe mi s use, sha ing, adap a ion, dis ibu ion and ep oduc ion in any medium o o ma , as long as you gi e app op ia e c edi o he o iginal au ho (s) and he sou ce, p o ide a link o he C ea i e Commons licence, and indica e i changes we e made. The images o o he hi d pa y ma e ial in his a icle a e included in he a icle's C ea i e Commons licence, unless indica ed o he wise in a c edi line o he ma e ial. I ma e ial is no included in he a icle's C ea i e Commons licence and you in ended use is no pe mi ed by s a u o y egula ion o exceeds he pe mi ed use, you will need o ob ain pe mission di ec ly om he copy igh holde . To iew a copy o his licence, isi h p : / / c e a i e c o m m o n s . o g / l i c e n s e s / b y / 4 . 0 /. Szczepanski e al. BMC Nu i ion (2025) 11:101 h ps://doi.o g/10.1186/s40795-025-01072-8 BMC Nu i ion *Co espondence: Lena Szczepanski lena.szczepanski@uni-osnab ueck.de 1Biology Didac ics, Depa men o Biology/Chemis y, Osnab ück Uni e si y, Osnab ück, Ge many Abs ac Backg ound Consuming al e na i es o cow’s milk (CM) could help coun e ac cu en en i onmen al p oblems. Plan -based milk al e na i es (PBMA) and p ecision e men a ion-based milk al e na i es–also called “animal- ee milk” (AFM)–a e po en ially mo e sus ainable al e na i es o CM. The e o e, ou s udy aimed o analyze young peoples’ a i udes owa d PBMA and AFM and hei mo i es o /agains consuming hese milk al e na i es. Me hods Fo his pu pose, semi-s uc u ed in e iews we e conduc ed wi h adolescen s om Ge many (N = 25; MAge = 17.6). The da a we e analyzed using quali a i e con en analysis. Resul s The esul s show ha he young people in ou s udy ha e posi i e a i udes owa d PBMA, as hey pe cei e PBMA as heal hy and en i onmen ally iendly. In addi ion, hey ha e p edominan ly posi i e a i udes owa d AFM, as hey pe cei e AFM as an en i onmen ally iendly and sui able al e na i e o CM. Animal wel a e and en i onmen al p o ec ion mo i a e he young people in ou s udy o consume hese milk al e na i es. In con as , senso y p ope ies (PBMA) and ood sa e y conce ns (AFM) we e iden i ied as ba ie s o he consump ion o milk al e na i es. Conclusions Adolescen s gene ally ha e posi i e a i udes owa d milk al e na i es, mo i a ed by pe cei ed heal h, en i onmen al, and animal wel a e bene i s. Howe e , senso y p ope ies and p oduc ion- ela ed unce ain ies a e ba ie s o consump ion. These indings highligh he impo ance o add essing hese conce ns o os e he accep ance o sus ainable milk al e na i es among young people. Keywo ds Consume esea ch, Quali a i e esea ch, Sus ainable nu i ion, Dai y al e na i es, Animal- ee dai y, Young people, Ge many A i udes owa d milk al e na i es and mo i es o (non-)consump ion: an in e iew s udy wi h adolescen s om Ge many LenaSzczepanski1* , Lau a-Ma ieBahlmann1, Co innaRö ke 1, AnnikeEyle ing1 and Flo ianFiebelko n1 Page 2 o 21Szczepanski e al. BMC Nu i ion (2025) 11:101 Backg ound Food p oduc ion and li es ock a ming con ibu e sig- ni ican ly o cu en en i onmen al p oblems, such as clima e change and biodi e si y loss [1–5]. Li es ock a ming accoun s o app oxima ely 60% o he an h o- pogenic g eenhouse gas emissions o ood p oduc ion. I also con ibu es abou 9% o o al global CO₂ emissions and 40% o global an h opogenic me hane emissions [5– 7]. Fu he mo e, li es ock a ming equi es 61–83% o he wo ld’s a mland [4, 8, 9]. The consump ion o cow’s milk (CM) emains consis- en ly high wo ldwide and in Eu ope [10–12]. Howe e , he ecommended daily consump ion amoun s o milk and dai y p oduc s ou lined in he na ional die a y guide- lines o Eu opean coun ies a y g ea ly be ween 200 and 600g [13]. In Ge many, o example, milk is a s aple ood and an es ablished elemen o people’s die s wi h a ecommended consump ion o wo po ions pe day, which can be one slice o cheese (30g) and one po ion o milk (250g) [14, 15]. Ge many is also he la ges milk p oduce in he Eu opean Union [16]. In 2022, abou 32.4million ons o CM we e p oduced in Ge many, and he a e age pe -pe son consump ion o CM in Ge many has been a ound 50kg pe yea o e he las wen y yea s [16–18]. The e a e wo po en ially mo e sus ainable al e na- i es o CM: Plan -based milk al e na i es (PBMA) and “animal- ee milk” (AFM) [1, 4, 19, 20]. PBMA a e de ined as suspensions o wa e and c ushed o dissol ed plan ma e ials [21–23]. In gene al, PBMA a e ca ego- ized acco ding o whe he hey a e made om ce eals, legumes, nu s, oilseeds, o pseudo-ce eals [21, 23–26]. PBMA, such as oa , soy, o almond milk, a e in ended o be simila o CM in appea ance, senso y p ope ies, and possible uses [22, 23]. The p oduc ion o oa , soy, o almond milk causes h ee imes less g eenhouse gas emissions han he p oduc ion o con en ional CM, o example [1, 4]. Howe e , he mac o- and mic onu ien s in oa , soy, o almond milk do no co espond o hose in CM, no does he ene gy, a , i amin (e.g., B12), and o he mine al (e.g., calcium) con en [26–28]. Some p o- duce s hus en ich PBMA wi h calcium and/o i amins [23]. In addi ion o con inuously op imizing hei PBMA po olios, a ious companies a e wo king on p oduc- ing ano he milk al e na i e e med “animal- ee milk” (AFM), which is equi alen o CM in appea ance, senso y p ope ies, and nu ien s [20, 29–31]. Like CM, AFM mainly consis s o wa e and he CM p o eins casein and whey p o ein, which a e p oduced ia p ecision e men- a ion. Du ing p ecision e men a ion, mic oo ganisms (e.g., ungi o yeas s) a e gene ically modi ied o exp ess casein and whey p o ein, which a e hen mixed wi h min- e als, suga , wa e , and ege able a s o p oduce he AFM [20, 29, 30, 32–34]. While he i s al e na i e dai y p od- uc s made wi h p ecision e men a ion echnology ha e been a ailable in he Uni ed S a es, Singapo e, and Hong Kong since 2021, hese p oduc s a e no ye a ailable on he Eu opean ma ke [34–36]. In Ge many, only he ood echnology company Fo mo is wo king on he p oduc ion o cheese al e na i es (i.e., “animal- ee cheese”) using p ecision e men a ion echnology [34, 37]. In gene al, in o ma ion abou he po en ial sus ainabili y o dai y p oduc s made wi h p ecision e men a ion echnology should be conside ed ca e ully because companies a e cu en ly esea ching and de eloping animal- ee dai y p oduc s and a e hus unwilling o publish he de ails o hei p oduc ion p ocesses [38]. Fu he mo e, compa ed o he p oduc ion o con en ional CM, he p oduc ion o AFM is es ima ed o emi 35–97% less g eenhouse gases and equi es 77–97% less land [20, 35, 39, 40]. In addi- ion o he lowe en i onmen al impac o AFM com- pa ed o con en ional CM, i s as e, appea ance, and uses a e equi alen o hose o con en ional CM, which could encou age people o make changes o hei die a y hab- i s by educing hei consump ion o animal-based oods [31, 41]. In he Eu opean Union, 28% o all adul s al eady con- sume PBMA [42, 43], while in Ge many, 33–38% o peo- ple do [43, 44]. The mos consumed PBMA in Ge many a e oa , soy, and almond milk [11, 45]. Whe he people would be willing o consume AFM has no ye been in es iga ed, hough. To da e, only he willingness o con- sume o he animal- ee dai y p oduc s, such as cheese, has been in es iga ed [31, 32, 46–49]. Fo ins ance, a s udy wi h young adul s om he Uni ed S a es showed ha 64% o pa icipan s would be willing o buy p oduc s c ea ed wi h p ecision e men a ion echnology [46]. In Ge many, Zollman Thomas and B yan [31] showed ha 75.9% o adul consume s would y animal- ee cheese, 62.7% would buy i , and 36.1% would buy i egula ly. To analyze consume in en ions and beha io s in ela ion o he consump ion o milk al e na i es, consume s’ a i- udes and mo i es ha e o en been examined in exis ing esea ch [50–52]. A i udes owa d milk al e na i es A i udes a e de ined as an o e all e alua ion o an a i- ude objec [53–55]. Acco ding o he ABC model o a i udes, hey consis o h ee componen s: a ec i e (A), beha io al (B), and cogni i e (C) componen s. The a ec i e componen comp ises a consume ’s eelings o emo ional eac ions o an a i ude objec (e.g., “Oa milk is delicious”). The beha io al componen comp ises a consume ’s beha io o beha io al in en ions owa d an a i ude objec (e.g., “I would ne e d ink oa milk”). The cogni i e componen comp ises a consume ’s belie s abou an a i ude objec , i.e., wha hey hink abou he Page 3 o 21Szczepanski e al. BMC Nu i ion (2025) 11:101 a i ude objec in e ms o ac (e.g., “Oa milk is heal h- ie han CM”) [54, 55]. Consume s’ a i udes owa d a p oduc canno be de e mined simply by iden i ying hei belie s [53, 54]. Unde s anding consume s’ a i udes owa d milk al e na i es could p o ide aluable insigh s in o hei decision-making p ocesses, which can hen be used o de elop educa ion and ma ke ing campaigns [56]. The cu en esea ch ocuses on adul s’ a i udes owa d PBMA, mos ly in compa ison o CM [50–52, 56– 60]. O e all, mos s udies ha e demons a ed ha PBMA a e pe cei ed less posi i ely han CM [50, 51, 57, 59]. Speci ically, PBMA—in compa ison o CM—a e con- sis en ly e alua ed as unheal hie , less nu i ious, wo se o he bones [50], and mo e expensi e [51, 56]. To ou knowledge, only wo s udies ha e in es iga ed adoles- cen s’ a i udes owa d PBMA. Palacios e al. [61] showed ha adolescen s om he Uni ed S a es a ed soy milk sligh ly mo e nega i ely han CM, whe eby un la o ed CM was a ed less a o ably han chocola e- la o ed soy milk [61]. In Ge many, a hi d o adolescen s ha e exhib- i ed a posi i e a i ude owa d PBMA [62]. A i udes owa d AFM ha e no ye been in es iga ed. B oad e al. [32], Zollman Thomas and B yan [31], and Zollman Thomas and Dilla d [63] we e he only s udies ha examined adul s’ pe cep ions o animal- ee dai y p oduc s. In he s udy by Zollman Thomas and B yan [31], animal- ee cheese was e alua ed as less as y and na u al han con en ional cheese. Zollman Thomas and Dilla d [63] showed ha po en ial consume s om he Uni ed S a es o Ame ica and Ge many, o example, pe cei ed he p oduc ion o animal- ee dai y p oduc s as echnical and sca y. Howe e , animal- ee cheese was e alua ed as he mos e hical and en i onmen ally iendly p oduc compa ed o con en ional and egan cheese. Among Ge man adul s, he pe cep ion o ani- mal- ee cheese as e hical, as y, and heal hy posi i ely a ec ed hei willingness o consume animal- ee cheese [31]. To ou knowledge, young people’s a i udes owa d AFM o dai y p oduc s ha e no ye been in es iga ed. Mo i es o /agains he consump ion o (o willingness o consume) milk al e na i es In addi ion o a i udes owa d a p oduc , mo i es play a decisi e ole in consume s’ decision-making as hey a ec a i udes [64, 65]. In gene al, mo i es a e de ined as a pe son’s easons o a speci ic beha io [66]. The e- o e, consume s’ mo i es in ood selec ion co espond o hei goals: Mo i es desc ibe wha he consume wan s o achie e in o wi h hei ood consump ion [54]. Food choice mo i es in luence consume s’ a i udes owa d a p oduc [50, 64]. Consume s a e o en unawa e o hei ood choice mo i es. Howe e , hey can be made awa e o hei mo i es h ough e lec ion o ques ioning [67]. Insigh s in o consume s’ ood choice mo i es can be used o de elop and op imize ma ke ing s a egies by add ess- ing (po en ial) consume s’ mo i es in ma ke ing commu- nica ion o inc ease hei consump ion o (o willingness o consume) ce ain p oduc s [54]. In addi ion o physi- ological ac o s, heal h, con enience, na u al con en , p ice, weigh con ol, amilia i y, and e hical conce ns a e mo i es ha a ec ood choices. Fu he mo e, consume beha io can be de e mined by social mo i es [65]. Fo Eu opean consume s, p ice, senso y appeal, and na u al con en a e he mos impo an ood choice mo i es [68]. Rega ding he consump ion o milk al e na i es, cu - en esea ch ocuses on adul s’ mo i es o and agains he consump ion o PBMA [44, 51, 52, 57–59, 69–73]. Adul s om he Uni ed S a es o Ame ica, Aus ia, and Ge many, o example, o en ci e heal h, en i onmen- al, and e hical aspec s as mo i es o consuming PBMA [50–52, 57–59, 69, 73]. Adul s in Ge many indica e spe- ci ic die s and heal h easons, as well as en i onmen al and animal p o ec ion as mo i es o no consuming milk and dai y p oduc s [44]. Mo i es o and agains he consump ion o AFM ha e no ye been in es iga ed. Howe e , a ew s udies exis ha examine adul s’ mo i es o hei willingness o con- sume animal- ee dai y p oduc s. Animal wel a e and en i onmen al p o ec ion ha e been iden i ied as mo i es o he willingness o consume animal- ee dai y p od- uc s among adul s. Unce ain ies ega ding ood sa e y we e iden i ied as mo i es agains he willingness o con- sume animal- ee dai y p oduc s [32, 46, 63]. S udy aims and esea ch ques ions To os e a change in die a y habi s, we mus analyze he consump ion o o willingness o consume mo e sus ain- able milk al e na i es. A i udes and mo i es o e a ou e o analyze his consump ion o willingness o consume. The exis ing esea ch has ocused on adul s’ a i udes owa d PBMA and hei consump ion mo i es. A i udes owa d PBMA ha e o en been in es iga ed quan i a i ely ia a i ude s a emen s o seman ic di e en ials o de e - mine consume s’ pe cep ions. To da e, limi ed esea ch has been conduc ed on he speci ic belie s and eelings abou he consump ion o milk al e na i es ha unde lie posi i e o nega i e a i udes owa d hem. In addi ion, mo i es o o agains he consump ion o PBMA ha e a ely been su eyed compa ed o he cu en consump- ion o PBMA. The e o e, he i s aim o ou s udy is o iden i y how PBMA and AFM a e e alua ed, and which belie s and eelings de e mine a posi i e o nega i e e alua ion. The second aim o ou s udy is o de e mine he mo i es o and agains he consump ion o (o willingness o con- sume) PBMA and AFM based on he cu en consump- ion (o willingness). A quali a i e esea ch app oach was Page 4 o 21Szczepanski e al. BMC Nu i ion (2025) 11:101 chosen o allow pa icipan s o exp ess and explain hei belie s, eelings, and mo i es o consuming o being will- ing o consume milk al e na i es [67, 74]. In his s udy, we ocus on adolescen s in Ge many, as hey ha e no been in es iga ed and ep esen a c ucial g oup o shaping u u e die a y ends as hei die a y habi s a e less en enched and easie o in luence han hose o adul s [75, 76]. This esul s in he ollowing esea ch ques ions: Resea ch Ques ion 1: Wha a e adolescen s’ a i- udes owa d milk al e na i es? Resea ch Ques ion 1.1: How do adolescen s e alu- a e PBMA? Resea ch Ques ion 1.2: How do adolescen s e alu- a e AFM? Resea ch Ques ion 2: Wha a e adolescen s’ mo i es o /agains he consump ion o (o willingness o consume) milk al e na i es? Resea ch Ques ion 2.1: Wha a e adolescen s’ mo i es o /agains he consump ion o PBMA? Resea ch Ques ion 2.2: Wha a e adolescen s’ mo i es o /agains hei willingness o consume AFM? Me hods The me hods a e desc ibed ollowing he “Quali a i e Design Repo ing S anda ds (JARS-Qual)” [77] and he c i e ia o epo ing quali a i e esea ch (COREQ) [78]. Selec ion o pa icipan s, cha ac e is ics o he pa icipan s, and ec ui men Fo sample cons uc ion, he induc i e sampling me hod o explo a o y s udies acco ding o Reinde s [79] was chosen. The sample was selec ed based on h ee c i- e ia. Fi s ly, adolescen s needed o a end uppe sec- onda y school because hey need biological knowledge abou gene ics o unde s and he p oduc ion o AFM, which is co e ed in he uppe seconda y school biology cu iculum in Ge many [80]. Secondly, he adolescen s needed o iden i y as di e en gende s, and, hi dly, consume CM o PBMA o allow us o iden i y hei a i- udes owa d milk al e na i es and hei mo i es o and agains consump ion ac oss gende s ( emale, male, and o he ) and consume g oups (CM consume s and PBMA consume s). The inal sample consis ed o 25 adolescen s 16 o 19 yea s old (N = 25; MAge = 17.60 yea s; SDAge = 0.63 yea s; 60% emale). The adolescen s came om i e second- a y schools in he ci y and dis ic o Osnab ück (Lowe Saxony, Ge many) and we e in he ele en h o hi een h g ades (uppe seconda y school) a he ime o da a collec ion. Desc ip i e s a is ics o he sample and hei sel - epo ed consump ion o CM, PBMA, and hei will- ingness o consume AFM a e p esen ed in Table1. All names ha e been eplaced wi h pseudonyms o ensu e anonymi y. To ec ui pa icipan s, he school p incipals o all seconda y schools in he ci y and dis ic o Osnab ück we e con ac ed by email wi h an in i a ion o pa ici- pa e in his s udy. The school p incipals o wa ded he email o he biology eache s a hei schools and asked he biology eache s o eques olun a y pa icipan s om hei uppe seconda y school cou ses. The biol- ogy eache s we e ins uc ed o ensu e an equal dis i- bu ion o gende s and consump ion o PBMA and CM when selec ing pa icipan s. The in e iews we e always scheduled in blocks by he eache s so ha he pa icipan s om he same school we e in e iewed on he same day and one a e he o he . A e each in e iew block, he i s and hi d au ho s ( wo code s) discussed con en sa u a- ion. The code s used he deduc i e ca ego y sys em as a basis and he audio eco dings o discuss whe he new con en and induc i e codes had been added. Con en sa u a ion occu ed a e 21 in e iews. A his poin , ou mo e in e iews we e planned, which we e subsequen ly conduc ed and a o al o 25 in e - iews we e analyzed. Be o e he da a we e collec ed, bo h he school p in- cipals and he s uden s (and hei pa en s, o s uden s unde he age o 18) signed a decla a ion o consen . The s uden ’s pa en s also ecei ed an in o ma i e le - e explaining he s udy’s aim, ha pa icipa ion was olun a y, and ha he da a would be anonymized. Be o e he in e iews began, s uden s’ (and pa en s’) signed decla a ion o consen was e iewed and con- i med e bally. Pa icipa ion in he in e iews was olun a y and anonymous. All s uden s had he oppo - uni y o decline pa icipa ion a any ime wi hou consequences. Da a collec ion occu ed in Sep embe and Oc obe 2022. The i s au ho (cha ac e is ics: emale; quali i- ca ion: physics and biology eache wi h wo yea s o eaching expe ience; cu en occupa ion: PhD s uden and esea ch assis an ) conduc ed all in e iews in a quie oom in he s uden s’ schools. The in e iews we e eco ded wi h a digi al audio eco de (Olym- pus LS-P1). They anged om 29.33 o 51.63 min (MDu a ion = 41.83min; SDDu a ion = 6.07min). S udy design and in e iew p ocedu e We chose a quali a i e app oach wi h in-dep h semi- s uc u ed in e iews o be e unde s and ado- lescen s’ a i udes and mo i es in ela ion o he consump ion o PBMA and AFM since quali a i e Page 5 o 21Szczepanski e al. BMC Nu i ion (2025) 11:101 me hods allow o a de ailed in es iga ion o indi idual associa ions, belie s, and eelings, which a e di icul o assess h ough s anda dized ques ionnai es [64]. Fo ou s udy, he i s au ho , in coope a ion wi h biology didac ics expe s, biology eache s, and psychologis s, de eloped an in e iew guide based on (consume ) psychological heo ies [53, 54, 64]. We decided o use a semi-s uc u ed in e iew guide o allow o mo e lexibili y and o enable pa icipan s o exp ess hei hough s mo e eely [79]. To gain a deepe unde - s anding o pa icipan s a i udes and consump ion mo i es, we mainly asked “why” ques ions [54, 64]. To op imize he in e iew ques ions and p ocess, he in e iew guide was es ed in a pilo s udy wi h ou s uden s aged 17 o 18 be o e da a collec ion [81, 82]. Minimal adjus men s we e made o he ques ions based on he pilo s udy esul s. No ably, he pilo in e iews we e no included in he inal sample. In e iews we e di ided in o ou b oad phases: (1) he in oduc ion, (2) he main phase on PBMA, (3) he main phase on AFM, and (4) he conclusion wi h a sho ques ionnai e (Fig.1). Du ing da a col- lec ion, he o de o he second and hi d phases was swi ched a e each pa icipan o minimize any possi- ble in luence o he o de o he phases on pa icipan s’ esponses. The second and hi d phases we e di ided in o h ee subphases: (1) concep ions o PBMA/AFM and hei /i s p oduc ion, (2) a i udes owa d PBMA/ AFM (RQs 1.1 and 1.2), and (3) mo i es o and agains he consump ion o PBMA/AFM (RQs 2.1 and 2.2; Fig. 1). To answe he esea ch ques ions, only da a on a i udes and mo i es om he second and hi d phases we e analyzed. The comple e in e iew guide, Table 1 O e iew o he sample o adolescen s (N = 25) Name aGende Age Residence bIn e iew du a ion Die cConsump ion CM dConsump ion PBMA eWillingness o consume AFM Liam male 17 u ban a ea 50.30min omni o ous daily ne e willing Sophia emale 17 u al a ea 43.11min omni o ous weekly casual (mon hly) willing Alexande male 17 u ban a ea 47.63min omni o ous daily ne e no willing Emma emale 17 u al a ea 45.11min ege a ian mon hly egula (daily) willing Elias male 18 u al a ea 39.01min ege a ian mon hly casual (mon hly) no willing Ma hys male 17 u al a ea 29.33min omni o ous daily ne e willing Mason male 17 u ban a ea 46.80min omni o ous weekly egula (daily) willing Benjamin male 16 u ban a ea 41.13min o he weekly casual (weekly) willing Oli e male 17 u al a ea 41.40min o he ne e egula (weekly) willing Emilia emale 17 u al a ea 32.32min ege a ian mon hly egula (weekly) willing Mila emale 18 u al a ea 38.01min omni o daily ne e willing Lily emale 18 u al a ea 35.07min ege a ian weekly egula (daily) willing Sophie emale 18 u ban a ea 40.47min omni o ous ne e casual (weekly) willing Mia emale 19 u ban a ea 49.21min ege a ian mon hly egula (daily) willing Isabella emale 18 u al a ea 50.67min omni o ous daily ne e willing Maëlys emale 18 u ban a ea 42.56min ege a ian weekly ne e willing Jack male 18 u al a ea 34.73min omni o ous daily egula (daily) willing Samuel male 18 u ban a ea 46.07min omni o ous ne e casual (weekly) willing Ella emale 18 u ban a ea 51.63min omni o ous weekly casual (weekly) willing Oli ia emale 18 u al a ea 47.87min ege a ian weekly casual (weekly) willing Emmy emale 17 u ban a ea 46.07min egan ne e egula (weekly) willing Amelia emale 18 u al a ea 39.88min omni o ous daily ne e willing Cha lo e emale 18 u ban a ea 35.73min omni o ous daily ne e willing Emily emale 18 u al a ea 35.78min omni o ous weekly egula (weekly) willing Lucas male 18 u ban a ea 37.63min omni o ous daily egula (daily) willing Mean alue 17.60 41.86min S anda d de ia ion 00.63 06.07min Minimum 16.00 29.33min Maximum 19.00 51.63min No es. a Randomly selec ed pseudonym acco ding o he mos popula i s names in 2022 in he Uni ed S a es o Ame ica. b The adolescen s we e asked abou hei a ea o esidence a e he in e iew and could choose ei he u ban a ea o u al a ea. c The adolescen s we e asked abou hei die s a e he in e iew and could choose omni o ous, ege a ian, egan, o o he . d The adolescen s we e asked abou hei consump ion o CM a e he in e iew and could choose daily, weekly, mon hly, o ne e . e Du ing he in e iew, he adolescen s we e asked o desc ibe hei consump ion o PBMA and, on his basis, classi y hei consump ion as egula , casual, o ne e . The equency o consump ion is gi en in pa en heses. Du ing he in e iew, he adolescen s ecei ed an in o ma i e ex abou AFM and we e asked o decide acco dingly whe he hey we e willing o unwilling o consume AFM. Page 6 o 21Szczepanski e al. BMC Nu i ion (2025) 11:101 Fig. 1 Key ques ions and esea ch in e es s in he main phases o he in e iews abou milk al e na i es No es. This s udy did no analyze phase 1 o he main phases o he in e iew. In he i s phase, he adolescen s we e asked abou hei concep ions o PBMA and AFM and hei p oduc ion Page 7 o 21Szczepanski e al. BMC Nu i ion (2025) 11:101 including guiding ques ions and p omp s, is p o ided in he supplemen a y ma e ial (Supplemen a y Ma e- ial 1). Be o e he i s phase, he in e iewe alked wi h he pa icipan abou how hey we e doing and b ie ly in o- duced he sel (a PhD s uden a a uni e si y esea ching “sus ainable nu i ion”). The in e iewe cla i ied ha he in e iew opic was “milk al e na i es” and poin ed ou ha he in e iew was no abou hei knowledge bu hei hough s on he opic. Pa icipan s we e also in o med ha he collec ed da a would be ea ed con i- den ially, meaning ha hei eache s would no ecei e any o he da a, and hey we e encou aged o say any- hing ha came o mind. Du ing he i s phase, pa icipan s we e asked abou hei concep ions o PBMAs and AFM, hei ing edien s, and hei p oduc ion; his phase is no included in his a icle. Addi ionally, pa icipan s we e shown he lis o ing edien s o a ca on o oa d ink (wa e , oa s [12%], sun lowe oil, and sea sal ) so ha hey could discuss hei concep ions o he p oduc ion o PBMAs. A e his i s phase, pa icipan s we e gi en no u he in o ma- ion abou he p oduc ion o PBMAs. Du ing he second phase, pa icipan s we e asked o e alua e PBMAs o AFM o e all as “( a he ) posi i e” o “( a he ) nega i e” o assess hei a i udes owa d milk al e na i es [53]. Pa icipan s we e hen asked o explain hei posi i e o nega i e e alua ion using h ee p oduc - ela ed a ibu es o iden i y he belie s and eelings abou PBMAs o AFM ha de e mined hei posi i e o nega- i e e alua ion [55]. Since AFM is no ye a ailable on he Eu opean ma ke and he public is less amilia wi h dai y p oduc s p oduced wi h p ecision e men a ion echnol- ogy [31, 32], pa icipan s we e gi en a b ie in o ma i e ex de ailing wha AFM is and how i is p oduced o help hem e alua e i (Supplemen a y Ma e ial 2). Du ing he hi d phase, pa icipan s we e i s asked abou hei consump ion o PBMA o hei willing- ness o consume AFM. Thei cu en consump ion o PBMA was assessed by asking, “Do you d ink PBMA as an al e na i e o CM?” I pa icipan s al eady consumed PBMA, hey we e asked o p o ide he equency o con- sump ion and ypes o PBMA consumed du ing a ypi- cal school week. In addi ion, pa icipan s we e asked o classi y hei consump ion o PBMA as “ egula ,” “casual,” o “ne e ” based on hei sel - epo ed consump ion e- quency. Pa icipan s we e also asked whe he hey would be willing o consume AFM as an al e na i e o CM i i became a ailable in all supe ma ke s and es au an s. Based on hei esponses o his ques ion, pa icipan s’ mo i es o and agains he consump ion o milk al e - na i es we e assessed wi h he ques ions, “Why do you ne e /casually/ egula ly d ink PBMA as an al e na i e o CM?” and “Why a e you (no ) willing o consume AFM as an al e na i e o CM?” [64]. Du ing he in e iew, he in e iewe asked indi idual, hough -p o oking ques ions o iden i y pa icipan s’ eelings, belie s, and hough s abou he opic (see Supplemen a y Ma e ial 1). A he end o he in e iew, pa icipan s we e asked o comple e a sho ques ionnai e on hei sociodemo- g aphic da a and consump ion o milk (al e na i es; Sup- plemen a y Ma e ial 1). Da a analysis The audio eco dings we e ansc ibed acco ding o D esing and Pehl [83]. The ansc ip s we e no e u ned o he pa icipan s o commen s o co ec- ions. In he nex s ep, he ansc ip s we e edac ed acco ding o G opengieße ’s [84] guidelines o imp o e eadabili y and educe he esea ch ques ion con- en in he ansc ip s. The ansc ip ion and edac- ion ules a e p o ided in he supplemen a y ma e ial (Supplemen a y Ma e ial 3). The edac ed da a we e analyzed in MAXQDA [85] wi h quali a i e con en analysis acco ding o Kucka z and Rädike [86] which enables a sys ema ic bu lexible analysis o quali a i e da a h ough a combina ion o deduc i e and induc i e coding. As we ollowed a quali a i e in e iew app oach, we do no ha e a ep esen a i e sample o adolescen s in Ge many. The e o e, we do no in end o make gene - alized s a emen s o adolescen s (in Ge many) wi h ou quali a i e esul s. As pa o he con en analysis, we use equencies o illus a e ends wi hin ou sam- ple [77]. Acco ding o he esea ch ques ions and he in e - iew phases, a deduc i e ca ego y sys em was c ea ed wi h he ollowing supe o dina e ca ego ies: (1.1) “A i- udes owa d PBMA,” (1.2) “A i udes owa d AFM,” (2.1) “Mo i es o /agains PBMA consump ion,” and (2.2) “Mo i es o /agains he willingness o consume AFM” (Figs. 2 and 3). The supe o dina e ca ego ies “A i udes owa d PBMA” and “A i udes owa d AFM” we e each deduc i ely di ided in o wo subca ego ies, “Posi i e a i udes owa d PBMA/AFM” and “Nega i e a i udes owa d PBMA/AFM”. Wi hin each o hese subca ego ies, deduc i e codes we e de i ed om he cu en s a e o esea ch, and induc i e codes (*) we e de i ed om pa icipan s’ s a emen s du ing he da a analysis (Fig.2). The supe o dina e ca ego ies “Mo i es o /agains PBMA consump ion” and “Mo i es o /agains he will- ingness o consume AFM” we e also each deduc i ely di ided in o wo subca ego ies (“Mo i es o PBMA consump ion/ he willingness o consume AFM” and “Mo i es agains PBMA consump ion/ he willingness o consume AFM”). Wi hin each o hese subca ego ies, deduc i e codes we e de i ed om he cu en s a e o Page 8 o 21Szczepanski e al. BMC Nu i ion (2025) 11:101 esea ch, and induc i e codes (*) we e de i ed om pa - icipan s’ s a emen s du ing he da a analysis (Fig.3). The comple e ca ego y sys em is p o ided in he sup- plemen a y ma e ial (Supplemen a y Ma e ial 4). The analysis o he en i e quali a i e da a was ca ied ou by he i s au ho . To a i m he in e nal consis ency o he coding, 20% o all s a emen s ha we e ele an o answe ing he esea ch ques ions we e also coded wi h he comple e ca ego y sys em by he second au ho [86]. To assess in e code ag eemen , he kappa coe icien was calcula ed in MAXQDA acco ding o B ennan and Fig. 2 Ca ego y sys ems o analyzing adolescen s’ a i udes owa d milk al e na i es No es. * Induc i ely coded ca ego ies. PBMA = plan -based milk al e na i es; AFM = animal- ee milk Page 9 o 21Szczepanski e al. BMC Nu i ion (2025) 11:101 P edige [87]. The kappa alue is 0.79, which indica es subs an ial in e code ag eemen [87]. Resul s In o al, se en een o he 25 adolescen s s a ed hey al eady consumed plan -based al e na i es o CM. O hese, se en s a ed ha hey consumed PBMA casually, and en egula ly. The egula consume s in ou s udy said ha hey used PBMA h ee o se en days a week, while he casual consume s used PBMA wo o ou days a week. The egula and casual consume s epo ed ha hey mos equen ly consumed oa milk (n = 15), ol- lowed by almond milk (n = 5). Eigh o he adolescen s s a ed ha hey did no consume any plan -based al e na- i es o CM. O hese, six said ha hey had no ye ied any PBMA (Table1). Conce ning AFM, 23 o he adoles- cen s said ha hey would be willing o y, buy, o d ink AFM as an al e na i e o CM. Two adolescen s s a ed ha hey would no be willing o y AFM (Table1). Fig. 3 Ca ego y sys ems o analyzing adolescen s’ mo i es o and agains he consump ion o (o willingness o consume) milk al e na i es No es. * Induc i ely coded ca ego ies. PBMA = plan -based milk al e na i es; AFM = animal- ee milk Page 16 o 21Szczepanski e al. BMC Nu i ion (2025) 11:101 was conside ed a heal hy al e na i e o CM since i has lowe calo ie and a con en . Animal wel a e was also a c ucial mo i e o consume PBMA among ou pa icipan s and was linked o he mo al s ance agains he abuse o animals o ood p o- duc ion. Adul s also conside animal wel a e o be one o he mos impo an conside a ions when buying dai y p oduc s o plan -based dai y al e na i es [44, 101]. The g owing awa eness o heal h, animal wel a e, and he en i onmen is also e lec ed in he dynamic de elop- men o young people’s die a y habi s in Ge many. Young people (aged 15 o 30) a e inc easingly a oiding he con- sump ion o animal p oduc s o clima e and animal wel- a e [62, 102]. Mo i es agains consuming PBMA As ou esul s show, he senso y cha ac e is ics o PBMA a e a majo ba ie o hei consump ion [59, 72, 103, 104]. Ame ican child en and adolescen s (aged 8 o 16), o example, a ed lac ose- ee milk as be e , in gene al, han soy milk since lac ose- ee milk had be e senso y p ope ies, such as as e and mou h eel [61]. In addi ion, he p ice o PBMA compa ed o ha o CM—pe cei ed o eal—was a mo i e agains he consump ion o PBMA. This mo i e is impo an o younge people, as hey ha e limi ed incomes and depend on hei amily’s shopping and die a y habi s [99] and since one in i e young people in Ge many g ows up in a low-income household [105]. In addi ion o indi idual ac o s, en i onmen al ac o s a ec sus ainable ood consump ion [106]. We ound ha social in luence and social no ms ela ed o he con- sump ion o CM a e also ba ie s o he consump ion o PBMA, as CM consump ion is o en conside ed “no mal” and an in eg al die a y habi [71, 97, 107]. Mo i es o he willingness o consume AFM The willingness o ou pa icipan s o consume AFM depended mainly on indi idual ac o s, such as a conce n o animal wel a e. Animal wel a e was a key mo i e o consume milk al e na i es (AFM and PBMA) among ou pa icipan s, as hey ques ioned he necessi y and condi- ions o con empo a y li es ock a ming. The impo ance o animal wel a e o younge people when making ood choices is e lec ed in Gene a ion Z’s inc easing com- mi men o animal wel a e [99, 108]. Simila ly, Zollman Thomas and Dilla d [63] showed ha p omo ing animal wel a e o educing animal su e ing in li es ock a m- ing is he s onges mo i a ion o adul s’ consump ion o animal- ee dai y (e.g., cheese o milk). The eeling o unease abou li es ock a ming d i es he need o p o- ec animal wel a e and hus a oid consuming animal p oduc s. This unease can be enhanced by p esen ing in o ma ion abou o showing pic u es o he condi ions o dai y a ms (“animal wel a e aming”), which could encou age consume s o consume animal- ee dai y [63]. Mo i es agains he willingness o consume AFM Fi s , mos o ou pa icipan s we e e y in e es ed in ying AFM and ga e ew mo i es agains consuming i . Rega ding hei jus i ica ions o hei nega i e a i udes owa d AFM, unce ain ies abou i s sa e y o human heal h we e men ioned. Zollman Thomas and Dilla d [63] obse ed ha unce ain ies abou dai y p oduc s p o- duced wi h p ecision e men a ion hinde hei accep- ance. The Eu opean Food Sa e y Au ho i y’s (EFSA) app o al o AFM o sale on he Eu opean ma ke could help o educe unce ain ies abou AFM. In addi ion, all companies and ma ke ing campaigns should use a con- sis en desc ip ion o he p oduc ion p ocess o AFM o minimize unce ain ies and acili a e unde s anding o “animal- ee dai y” as a p oduc ca ego y [63]. Sugges ions o ma ke ing and policy Young people’s g owing awa eness o heal h, animal wel- a e, and he en i onmen , as well as hei doub s abou ou cu en ood sys em [99, 102], could be a good s a - ing poin o de eloping ma ke ing campaigns o CM al e na i es. Based on ou esul s, ma ke ing campaigns should be aimed a emphasizing he heal h, e hical, and en i onmen al bene i s o consuming PBMA ins ead o CM and di ec ly add essing misconcep ions (e.g., ain o - es de o es a ion o p oduce soya milk). Since ou esul s show a disc epancy be ween young people’s a i udes owa d and consump ion o PBMA (a i ude–beha io gap), we should conside how exis ing ba ie s can be o e come. The ba ie o la o and consis ency may esul om he pe cep ion o CM as “nice,” while PBMA do no mee senso y expec a ions in compa ison [59, 69, 71]. This ba ie among “CM lo e s” may be o e come by p oduc- ing PBMA wi h senso y p ope ies simila o hose o CM. One example o his is Alp o’s “No Milk,” which is a ailable on he Ge man ma ke and is ad e ised wi h he slogan “No milk, bu i as es like milk” [109]. Ad e - ising ha highligh s milk al e na i es’ simila i y o CM could be pa icula ly impo an o people who ha e no ye been able o elimina e CM since hey p e e i s la o . Ano he ba ie o he consump ion o PBMA is cos . PBMA a e cu en ly axed a 19% in Ge many, while CM is axed a 7% since i is conside ed a s aple ood he e. Equalizing axes on CM and PBMA is one way o lowe he p ice ba ie [110]. Fu he mo e, he po en ial o he social en i onmen o p omo e he consump ion o PBMAs should be conside ed since amily and iends in luence adolescen s’ ood choices [111]. Adolescen s also in luence each o he ’s die s and ood choices (e.g., Page 17 o 21Szczepanski e al. BMC Nu i ion (2025) 11:101 ia social media) [112]. This could be used o ac i ely d i e he no maliza ion o PBMA consump ion. The app o al o animal- ee dai y p oduc s in Eu ope could allay sa e y conce ns. Hence, communica ion should be ocused on he ad an ages o AFM, as p e i- ous esea ch has shown ha he pe cei ed bene i s o animal- ee cheese ha e a posi i e e ec on he willing- ness o buy i [47]. In addi ion, p e ious s udies ha e sug- ges ed ha companies should make i clea when AFM has no been p oduced using gene ically modi ied o gan- isms (GMOs), as associa ing AFM wi h GMOs could ha e a nega i e impac on isk pe cep ion and willingness o consume [49, 63, 113]. Open, anspa en communica- ion abou he new p oduc ca ego y o animal- ee dai y p oduc s could also help o inc ease amilia i y, which is c ucial o he willingness o consume no el oods [98]. Fu he mo e, a en ion should be paid o he placemen o AFM in he supe ma ke when i is in oduced; o example, placing AFM close o CM could p omo e amil- ia i y wi h he p oduc [32]. In summa y, AFM could become a sui able milk al e na i e among younge people [31]. Mos o ou pa icipan s al eady pe cei ed AFM as a easonable milk al e na i e. Whe he hey will in eg a e AFM in o hei die s will mainly depend on hei ood choice mo i es, such as p ice and as e, and he assuaging o unce ain ies abou AFM in ma ke ing campaigns. Limi a ions Since we used a quali a i e in e iew app oach and had speci ic inclusion c i e ia o ou sample, we did no aim o a sample ha was ep esen a i e o young people in Ge many. The e o e, based on ou esul s, we could no make gene alized s a emen s abou young people’s a i- udes owa d milk al e na i es and hei mo i es o o agains consuming hem [82]. Fu u e s udies could exam- ine a i udes owa d milk al e na i es and mo i es o o agains consuming hem among adul s o young people ollowing ano he ea ing cul u e. Ano he idea o u he esea ch would be o examine he a i udes o young peo- ple om he Uni ed S a es, whe e AFM is al eady a ail- able on he ma ke . Mo eo e , all ou pa icipan s we e engaged in highe educa ion (uppe seconda y le el), which may ha e a ec ed ou esul s since p e ious s ud- ies ha e shown ha people wi h high le els o educa ion a e mo e likely o adop sus ainable die a y habi s [114, 115]. In addi ion, only he mos equen ly men ioned p od- uc a ibu es and mo i es o consuming milk al e - na i es we e p esen ed and discussed in de ail. Less equen ly men ioned ca ego ies we e only men ioned, bu no u he explained wi h ancho quo a ions, which ep esen s a me hodological limi a ion. I is impo an o conside his me hodological limi a ion when in e p e - ing he esul s. Sel -selec ion bias was ano he majo limi a ion o his s udy. Pa icipa ion in he s udy was olun a y, which could ha e biased he sample since only s uden s in e - es ed in sus ainable ood choices olun ee ed o pa - icipa e. In his con ex , he esul s may also ha e been dis o ed by social desi abili y–pa icula ly in esponses abou he willingness o consume AFM. O he 25 pa - icipan s, 23 we e willing o consume AFM, which could ha e been as a esul o an imp o emen in sel - p esen a ion [116]. Addi ionally, ood choices a e no only de e mined by cogni i e ac o s such as willingness o consume; hey a e also de e mined by pe sonal (e.g., psychological componen s and habi s), ex e nal (e.g., he social en i onmen ), and sociocul u al (e.g., cul u e, eco- nomic a iables) ac o s [117]. These ac o s should be conside ed when in e p e ing ou esul s since he e may ha e been di e ences be ween pa icipan s’ s a emen s abou hei consump ion o milk al e na i es and hei ac ual beha io . Fu he mo e, 24 o he 25 pa icipan s s a ed ha hey ha e he igh o co-de e mina ion when making pu - chases. Pa icipan s’ oppo uni ies, cul u al backg ound, and le el o educa ion should be conside ed when in e - p e ing ou esul s since ou esul s do no apply o ado- lescen s om o he educa ional backg ounds, younge people, o people om di e en cul u al backg ounds. Di e ences in pe cep ions o PBMA and AFM can occu due o adi ions and cul u es [31, 57]. In addi ion, ado- lescen s a e la gely inancially dependen on hei pa en s and do no ha e o make hei own pu chases. The e o e, young people’s a i udes and consume beha io could change a e hey lea e hei pa en s’ homes. Pa icula ly du ing he ansi ion om school o uni e si y, new li e- s yles o en de elop, and exis ing habi s a e econside ed [118]. Labeling milk p oduced ia p ecision e men a ion as “AFM” was ano he me hodological limi a ion. Zollman Thomas and Dilla d [63] demons a ed ha using di e - en names o dai y p oduc s p oduced wi h p ecision e men a ion has di e en e ec s on po en ial consum- e s. Following Zollman Thomas and Dilla d’s [63] ecom- menda ions, we used he e m “AFM” because i is simple and clea ly di e en ia es AFM om CM. Ne e heless, he use o he English e m “AFM” may ha e con used pa icipan s du ing he in e iews, wi h some mis akenly hinking ha i e e ed o PBMAs. Conclusions Ou esul s showed ha he adolescen s in ou s udy gene ally had posi i e a i udes owa d PBMA and AFM. Howe e , unce ain ies abou he p oduc ion o AFM and i s sa e y o human heal h diminished hei posi- i e a i udes. In addi ion, ou esul s indica ed ha ado- lescen s’ decisions o consume PBMA we e d i en by Page 18 o 21Szczepanski e al. BMC Nu i ion (2025) 11:101 en i onmen al p o ec ion and heal h p omo ion mo i es. The main mo i es o consume AFM we e animal wel a e and he equi alency o AFM o CM (e.g., in as e and consis ency). Despi e he pe cei ed bene i s o PBMA and AFM, hei pe cei ed senso y p ope ies, cos s, and p oduc ion unce ain ies ep esen ed ba ie s o hei consump ion. Based on ou esul s, we de i ed implica ions o u - he esea ch, educa ion, and he ood indus y. Fu u e s udies could compa a i ely analyze young people’s and adul s’ a i udes owa d CM and dai y al e na i es, as well as hei mo i es o o agains consuming hese p oduc s. Ano he idea o u he esea ch would be o compa e he a i udes and mo i es o young people in a coun y wi h a s ong adi ion o consuming dai y p oduc s, such as Ge many, wi h hose o young people in a coun y wi h a weake adi ion o consuming dai y p oduc s. Fu he mo e, we ecommend ha as he ange o al e na i e p oduc s g ows, he en i onmen al impac and nu i ional alues o adi ional oods and al e na- i e p oduc s be discussed in mo e dep h in he con ex o Educa ion o Sus ainable De elopmen o educe mis- concep ions abou milk and milk al e na i es and p o- mo e in o med ood choices. Fo he ood indus y, ou esul s sugges ha p oduc communica ion o PBMA should be ocused on he heal h bene i s o such p oduc s and anspa ency in he unique nu i ional p o iles o a ious milk al e na i es. Fo AFM, he posi i e a i udes o ou sample p o ide a good s a ing poin o ma ke in oduc ion. Tha is, du ing i s in oduc ion, i s simila i- ies o adi ional milk, as well as i s en i onmen al ben- e i s, should be emphasized. To o e come sa e y conce ns abou AFM, he EFSA’s app o al o AFM o sale on he Eu opean ma ke is essen ial. Supplemen a y In o ma ion The online e sion con ains supplemen a y ma e ial a ailable a h p s : / / d o i . o g / 1 0 . 1 1 8 6 / s 4 0 7 9 5 - 0 2 5 - 0 1 0 7 2 - 8. Supplemen a y Ma e ial 1 Supplemen a y Ma e ial 2 Supplemen a y Ma e ial 3 Supplemen a y Ma e ial 4 Supplemen a y Ma e ial 5 Supplemen a y Ma e ial 6 Acknowledgemen s We wan o hank he headmas e s, eache s, and s uden s a he pa icipa ing schools o hei coope a ion in he p esen s udy. We acknowledge suppo om he Deu sche Fo schungsgemeinscha (DFG) and he Open Access Publishing Fund o Osnab ück Uni e si y. Au ho con ibu ions LS: Concep ualiza ion, Da a Cu a ion, Me hodology, In es iga ion, Fo mal Analysis, W i ing– O iginal D a P epa a ion, W i ing– Re iew & Edi ing. LMB: Fo mal Analysis, W i ing– O iginal D a P epa a ion. CR: Fo mal Analysis, W i ing– O iginal D a P epa a ion. AE: W i ing– Re iew & Edi ing. FF: Concep ualiza ion, W i ing– Re iew & Edi ing, P ojec Adminis a ion, Resou ces, Supe ision. Funding Open Access unding enabled and o ganized by P ojek DEAL. The au ho (s) disclosed eceip o he ollowing inancial suppo o he esea ch, au ho ship and/o publica ion o his a icle: This wo k was unded by Deu sche Fo schungsgemeinscha (DFG) and he Open Access Publishing Fund o Osnab ück Uni e si y. Da a a ailabili y The da ase s used and/o analyzed du ing he cu en s udy a e a ailable om he co esponding au ho upon easonable eques . Decla a ions E hics app o al and consen o pa icipa e The s udy was ca ied ou ollowing he na ional and ins i u ional guidelines, he Decla a ion o Helsinki, he Ge man Resea ch Founda ion, and he Ame ican Psychological Associa ion [119–121]. The e hics app o al o he p esen s udy was issued by he Regional S a e O ice o Schools and Educa ion Osnab ueck (OS 1 R.24–0541 2/N). Pa icipan s ga e hei w i en in o med consen o pa icipa e. Consen o publica ion No applicable. 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