STUDY: Does taking part in Veganuary put people off meat in the long-term?
Three studies of Veganuary participants found that when people reduce or avoid meat they also start to see meat and themselves differently. On average, people report liking meat less, with some even finding it disgusting. This complements our earlier research showing that 74% of vegetarians and 15% of flexitarians find meat disgusting. The studies also suggest that this “meat disgust” runs deep. Those who report it respond to the idea of eating meat in a similar way to how meat eaters react to the idea of eating faeces, or human or dog flesh.
NATALIA LAWRENCE: Humans have long wrestled with their conscience about killing and eating animals. The “meat paradox” (the conflict between people’s preference for meat and their concern for animals) may have inspired cave paintings from 37,000 years ago. Since then, many leading thinkers have eschewed meat, including Pythagoras, Leonardo da Vinci, Mary Shelley and Mahatma Gandhi.
Today, half of US adults and three-quarters of UK adults oppose the factory farming that produces almost all of their meat, yet only about one in ten follow a meat-free diet. Plant-based diets are increasingly tasty and cheap in many countries. Adopting them would spare the lives of over 80 billion animals a year and cause 75% less environmental damage than meaty diets…
Despite these proven advantages of a vegan diet, most people continue to eat meat, using strategies like “defensive reasoning” or moral disengagement and avoidance to reduce any psychological unease.
Every January since 2014, the Veganuary campaign – which encourages people to eat a plant-based diet in January – has attempted to break down these psychological defences with pictures of cute piglets, fluffy chicks and an invitation to give the challenge a go. Last year, around 25 million people, including about 4% of the UK population joined in.
Research by Veganuary suggests that over 80% of participants maintain large reductions in meat consumption, reducing their intake to half or even more, after six months.
At the University of Exeter, we have independently conducted three online studies of Veganuary participants (a fourth is underway) and found that when people reduce or avoid meat they also start to see meat and themselves differently. On average, people report liking meat less, with some even finding it disgusting. This complements our earlier research showing that 74% of vegetarians and 15% of flexitarians find meat disgusting.
Another of our studies (under peer review) suggests that this “meat disgust” runs deep. Those who report it (mainly vegetarians) respond to the idea of eating meat in a similar way to how meat eaters react to the idea of eating faeces, or human or dog flesh…
Participating in Veganuary also appears to shift people’s identity from seeing themselves as a meat eater to more of a “meat reducer” or “meat excluder”. These shifts in attitudes and self-perception are associated with greater success in reducing meat consumption during Veganuary.
Some other factors associated with greater success during Veganuary, and beyond, include increased feelings of personal control and improvements in practical skills and knowledge supporting a meat-free diet.
Some of the difficulties that can hinder successful participation in Veganuary include having to navigate food choices in social settings, a lack of plant-based options when eating out, missing non-vegan foods, and the perceived inconvenience of plant-based cooking. SOURCE…
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