To commemorate World Vegan Month, we asked our panel about their dietary views.
November was World Vegan Month, giving vegans across the globe a chance to celebrate their lifestyle. In light of this, we asked our student panel to share their views about veganism and meat consumption. Here are the findings:
A large number of students are turning to meat-free diets
Only 6 in 10 students classified themselves as omnivores, and 14% said that although they do eat meat and dairy, they try to avoid it.
14% classified themselves as vegetarian, 6% as vegan and 5% as pescetarian. This makes students more likely than the rest of the UK population to avoid meat and dairy products.
Of the non-omnivorous students, over 80% said they have eaten this way for over a year, with over a quarter having done so for more than 5 years. This demonstrates that students are very committed to their dietary choices.
6 in 10 students not currently following a meat-free diet said they would like to reduce their meat consumption. The most common reasons students want to reduce their meat intake is to avoid cruelty to animals and protect the environment.
“I think a vegan lifestyle is beneficial to the planet and socially and ethically the most responsible option. However i also believe that in our current society it is hard to be vegan without using alternatives which are often equally harmful for the environment”
“I would love to be a vegan mainly because I know the meat industry is cruel. I have always admired vegans. The trouble is we are so far removed from slaughter that we don't even think about it. If I had to kill a chicken or cow to eat it I would turn vegan in a heartbeat. It's too easy to buy it from the supermarket”
71% of students try to be more sustainable in their food choices by limiting waste. Other popular tactics include eating a wide variety of foods (54%), avoiding bottled drinks (50%), avoiding food with plastic packaging (43%) and eating locally sourced or in season fruits and vegetables (33%).
Students are mainly avoiding meat for ethical and environmental reasons
Nine in ten vegan students said they stopped eating meat because it is better for the environment. 8 in 10 say that they don’t eat animal products to avoid cruelty to animals, and 6 in 10 believe it’s better for their health.
Vegetarians have similar motivations, with 7 in 10 being motivated by animal cruelty, and the same number said their choice was driven by the reduced environmental impact.
Vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian students are likely to engage in cruelty-free shopping behaviour, with 73% not buying beauty products that are tested on animals and 47% not wearing leather products.
Meat-free diets are hard on student’s health, budget, social life and willpower
Students who’d tried vegetarian or vegan diets in the past told us that they decided not to continue with these diets for four main reasons; it was negatively impacting their health, it was difficult to maintain on a budget, it was socially difficult to maintain, or they simply missed eating meat.
“It didn't provide enough nutritional value to keep me well, and it's too expensive”
“I couldn't get the right daily nutritional requirements with my budget”
“It was too hard to continue as my family wasn't very encouraging and would always make meat dishes, it made it awkward having to make own food aside from them.”
“I've been vegetarian for very long and when in uni and dating someone eating meat it just started being inconvenient as i often cook with other people”
A third of students said they find it easier to make friends with people with similar diets to them, and 1 in 5 said their diet was very important to their sense of identity.
Students want their universities to provide vegetarian/vegan options in their canteens
85% of students believe their university’s canteen should provide vegetarian and vegan options.
Students do not seem to have any prejudices about the appeal of vegan foods, with only 8% saying they thought vegan food did not taste good.
Vegan burgers are the most popular vegan student dish, with Quorn being the most popular brand.
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