Research from The Vegan Society showed that an increasing number of people are looking to reduce their consumption of meat and dairy for environmental reasons.

More than one-third of Britons plan to cut back on their consumption of meat and dairy in 2023, according to a survey by the Vegan Society.

The world’s oldest vegan charity recently conducted a survey to determine how many people planned to make environmental resolutions for the new year.

The nationally representative survey of 2,000 people found that nearly half (999) intended to make at least one resolution that included an environmental goal. Just over 20% of the resolutions planned were unrelated to the environment. The remaining 30% said they would not make any.

Participants who were not already vegan and those who made environmental resolutions were asked to specify their dietary goals. 

While reducing meat and dairy was the third most popular option of the ten possible actions, 28% of non-vegans making environmental resolutions chose ‘Trying Veganuary,’ and 7% pledged to ‘Go Vegan’ completely.

The millennial generation was the most likely to participate in Veganuary, while the oldest age group (58 and older) was the most likely to say they planned to eat less meat.

Among other goals, reducing energy consumption was the most popular (67%) while reducing waste through recycling and reusing was a close second (65%). 

Around 56% of non-vegan eco-conscious panellists said they planned to reduce their consumption of animal products.

Other actions included flying less often, using greener transportation instead of driving, investing responsibly, donating to environmental causes, voting, and engaging with politicians.

Animal agriculture and climate change

Eliminating meat from one’s diet is one of the best ways to reduce one’s environmental impact. According to an Oxford study, if everyone ate only plants, climate emissions would be reduced by 70%.

Hannah Coyne is the campaign manager at the Vegan Society. She said: “It’s really encouraging to know that so many people are committing to doing their bit for the planet by reducing their intake of animal products. 

“Our Plate up for the Planet campaign aims to help people take this further and make one of the most effective changes possible to lower their carbon footprint.”

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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