On Independence from Meat Day, which falls on 4 July of every year (no, it falling on the same day as 4 July, the most famous day for grilling meat outside in the backyard), Newspoint took a closer look at a recently-held survey with University students about veganism, the diet and lifestyle which has been rapidly growing in popularity across the world due to its harmful effects on agriculture and the environment.
A dissertation submitted in 2020 to the Faculty for Social Wellbeing by Ms Claire Bonello sheds light on the perceptions of University students towards veganism.
A survey was conducted with 230 university students aged between 18 and 30 years, asking them whether they had a positive or a negative attitude towards the non-meat diet and whether they would consider switching to it. It also asks whether they agree or disagree with certain statements based on ethical, environmental and health reasons for adopting a vegan diet.
Some interesting findings from this study:
Most participants have had a conversation about veganism (205 of them, in fact), and the majority of these admitted to having an omnivore diet. The majority of respondents follow someone who is vegan on social media (60%) and have a vegan acquaintance (87.4%). Although the minority of participants are interested in becoming vegan (29.6%, respondents between 18 and 21 years of age showed most interest in switching to a vegan diet (32%). Those who have been exposed to pro-vegan information tend to have more positive perceptions towards veganism. There is a strong association between the thought of becoming vegan and positive perceptions towards veganism.
The dissertation can be read in its entirety on the UM鈥檚 online library archives.
