Estimating Vegetarian And Vegan Populations In The US.pdf

In the U.S., there are more than five times the number of former vegetarians/vegans compared to current vegetarians/vegans. Current vegetarians/vegans are very much innovators when it comes to the diffusion of vegetarianism and veganism, but they have difficulty maintaining a diet that positions them in the margins of society. It is unclear if there are inherent difficulties with vegetarian/vegan diets, or if lapses are due more to the burden of eating a diet that is outside the norm.

Key factors in people’s decisions to adopt or give up a vegetarian or vegan diet include age, political orientation, and religious beliefs. Current and lapsed vegetarians/vegans differ significantly in these areas. Current vegetarians/vegans are more likely to have adopted the diet at a younger age and to have transitioned more gradually.

The most common difficulties faced by former vegetarians/vegans include cravings and boredom with food options, insufficient interaction with other vegetarians/vegans, not being actively involved in a vegetarian/vegan community, not seeing the diet as part of their identity, disliking that their diet made them “stick out from the crowd;” and feeling it was too difficult to be “pure” with their diet. Health did not present a noticeable difficulty for study participants, with the exception of vitamin B12 monitoring.

A greater percentage of former (76%) than current (42%) vegetarians/vegans never had their B12 levels checked while they were adhering to the diet. The window for advocates to help individuals find ways to sustain their vegetarianism/veganism is small, with about a third (34%) of lapsed vegetarians/vegans reporting that they ate the diet for three months or less.

The animal protection movement may wish to consider adapting its approach to food-focused appeals in two ways: improve vegetarian/vegan retention and emphasize reductions. Improving vegetarian/vegan retention could involve targeting demographics, increasing the focus on the “how” of vegetarianism/veganism, and diversifying messaging for the “why” of vegetarianism/veganism. Emphasizing reductions could involve promoting animal product reduction and/or the elimination of key foods, such as chicken and fish.