New research by holiday lettings specialist holidaycottages.co.ukfound that almost one in three Brits (28 per cent) would consider adopting a vegan or vegetarian diet in the future, whilst one in five (20 per cent) already currently identify as vegan or vegetarian.
According to Siobhan Dolan, PR manager of Vegan charity Viva!: “This Veganuary hit record numbers as over 600,000 people signed up and pledged to try vegan. Over the last few years, veganism has exploded as more people choose a compassionate lifestyle and now we see supermarkets, restaurants and food producers fighting to create the best plant-based foods.”
The research found that there is an age difference in Brits that follow a vegan or vegetarian diet. 18–24-year-olds are almost twice as likely to be vegetarians (19 per cent) than 45–54-year-olds (11 per cent). As well as this, almost double the amount of 18–24-year-olds (27 per cent) would consider going vegetarian than 55-64 year olds (17 per cent).
The difference in generations becomes even more apparent as 11 per cent of 25–34-year-olds would consider going vegan in comparison to just 2 per cent of over 65s, the study found.
The data showed that almost two fifths of women (37 per cent) would reduce their consumption of meat and dairy products, in comparison to only one in four men (25 per cent). Additionally, 41 per centof male Brits wouldn’t consider the change in diet to go plant-based, whereas only 32 per cent of female Brits would be against the idea.
Siobhan adds that: “historically, veganism has been more popular with women than men. However, as plant-based proteins have become more widely available and promoted we’re starting to see a huge increase in men choosing to eat vegan. Today, people from all walks of life are choosing vegan from leading athletes, celebrities and the wider public.”
