A new study conducted by MIDDS surveying 3,000 US citizens in February 2023 about veganism has shown that 70% of Gen Z vegans think will continue having a vegan diet in five years’ time. Gen Z is the generation of people born between 1997 and 2012, who are the first people born into a fully digital era, as well as the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in US History.
However, disappointingly, only around 17% said they chose the vegan diet because of animal cruelty, with another 17% for the environment, and almost three times more for health reasons. Therefore, it is quite possible that the sample of people classed as vegan in this study is only plant-based people who do not follow the vegan philosophy.
Other key results of the study are: 50% of vegans pursue a vegan diet because of its health benefits; the biggest challenge for vegans is that 37% crave non-vegan foods; more than 7 out of 10 vegans expect to continue their diet for the next 5 years; 60% of vegans say they educate those around them about the benefits of veganism with the hope that people will follow; more than 51% of vegans said that the biggest barrier to starting the diet was understanding the health benefits; more than half of non-vegans said meat cravings are their biggest barrier toward veganism; 48% of non-vegans doubt the positive environmental impact of veganism, while 40% believe it; nearly 80% of non-vegans said they will not go vegan within the next five years; 73% of non-vegans and 52% of vegans don’t know what “flexitarian” means.
