STUDY: Who are the meat reducers, and why are they cutting back?

Animal welfare, while not as prominent a driver for meat reduction as health (90%) and environmental concerns (70%), was still identified by 41% of respondents as a major reason.

SARA STREETER: Nearly one in four people (23%) in the U.S. report eating less meat in the past year, according to a Gallup phone survey of 2,431 U.S. adults conducted in September 2019. That leaves almost three-quarters of the population eating the same (72%) or more (5%) meat than they had previously. Meat reduction was reported most frequently by survey respondents who were female, nonwhite, and affiliated politically with the democrats…

The 2020 Gallup survey also asked people to tell why they are cutting back on meat. Health concerns top the list for nine out of 10 meat reducers. A 2018 study (with data gathered in 2015) further supports these findings. Environmental concerns are the second most-cited reason. Over two-thirds (70%) of respondents mentioned this reason for eating less meat. Animal welfare, while not as prominent a driver for meat reduction as health concerns, was still identified by 41% of respondents as a major reason and 24% as a minor reason for their change in eating habits…

Men were just half as likely as women to report reduced meat intake… Meat reducers, on the other hand, were twice as likely to be found among the nonwhites as among the white participants. And, similar to results from a 2018 Gallup poll about veg*ism, those identifying as political independents or democrats were two to two and a half times more likely to report eating less meat. Where a person lives also had an influence: midwesterners and rural residents were less likely to be meat reducers than their urban counterparts in the east, south or west.  SOURCE…

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