Who Are the Britain’s Flexitarians?
Roughly 44% of Britain's flexitarians that are considering veg*nism seem to be motivated by animal welfare, 40% cite health reasons, and 35% cite environmental impact.
OWEN ROGERS: ‘A recent poll conducted by YouGov, a U.K. polling company, sheds light on flexitarians and their attitudes and habits, as well as that of vegans, vegetarians, and pescatarians. For the purposes of their study, “flexitarian” refers to people who eat a mostly plant-based diet, but eat meat occasionally.
The vast majority of Brits consume meat: 73% identify as meat-eaters, 14% as flexitarians, 3% each as pescatarian and vegetarian, 1% as vegan, and 6% other/don’t know. Meanwhile, women are much more likely than men to have a specialized diet; 18% of women from 18-24 are flexitarian, and 3% are vegan. For men in the same age range, 10% are flexitarian and 1% are vegan. For both men and women, individuals under 35 are more likely to be vegan or vegetarian, while similar rates of individuals across all ages identify as flexitarian or pescatarian…
The polling shows that flexitarians generally don’t view their diet as a stepping-stone to veganism or vegetarianism. They are nearly three times more likely than the general public to say that they are “actively trying to reduce their meat consumption.” They are also significantly more likely than the general public to say they are likely to go vegan or vegetarian, but the overall percentage remains low at around 7% for vegetarian and 2% for vegan.
Flexitarians who intend to go vegan or vegetarian are more likely to be students or part-time workers, live at home or with housemates, and expect a child in the recent future. They also tend to rely more on online media than print or television, and use social media at a higher rate. This suggests that they skew younger, in the under-30 demographic.
The subset of flexitarians considering vegetarianism or veganism seem to be motivated by animal welfare, with 44% citing it as their motivation. Roughly 40% cite health reasons as their reasoning, and 35% cite environmental impact… The pollsters in this study believe that one major hurdle preventing flexitarians from going vegan or vegetarian is the apparent restrictiveness of these diets. As animal advocates, we should focus on showing the variety of foods and cuisines available on a vegan diet to combat this image’. SOURCE…
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