Survey
Survey of the number of vegans in Great Britain There are two published surveys of the percentage of adult vegans in 2016, both based on face-to-face interviewing of a sample selected to be representative of the general population (the most reliable method). One survey, organised by The Vegan Society with Ipsos MORI, reported that the percentage of people in Great Britain who stated that they ate no animal products (dietary vegans) was 1.05%. The other, the Food & You Survey organised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) with the National Centre for Social Science Research (NatCen), reported that the percentage of people in England, Wales and N. Ireland who described themselves as vegan was 0.46%. The questions used were very different:
Food & You Survey question Which, if any, of the following applies to you? Please state all that apply. 1) Completely vegetarian, 2) Partly vegetarian, 3) Vegan, 4) Avoid certain food for religious or cultural reasons, 5) None
Vegan Society survey questions How often, if at all, do you personally eat any form of meat, fish or shellfish? This includes all forms and types of meat, fish or shellfish and dishes that contain these, even in small amounts. How often, if at all, do you personally consume any animal products other than meat, fish or shellfish? This includes any products produced from animals, such as milk, cheese, eggs, honey, gelatines, fish oils, etc.
32  The Vegan | Issue 3 2018
In both cases, the possible answers were: 1) Every day, 2) Every 2-3 days, 3) Every 4-5 days, 4) About once a week, 5) Every 2-3 weeks, 6) About once a month, 7) Less often than once a month, 8) Never People answering never to both questions were counted as dietary vegans.
Results In the case of the Food & You Survey, previous figures for similar questions had shown values averaging about 0.25%.1 2010
2012
2014
2016
Vegetarian but not vegan
3.24
2.41
2.32
3.44
Vegan
0.23
0.30
0.24
0.46
Those 2010-2014 results are consistent with The Vegan Society’s earlier estimate, published in 2009, that about 0.25% of the population were vegan. This earlier estimate was based mainly on similar questions asked as part of the annual FSA Consumer Attitudes Survey from 2000 to 2007. There were many possible reasons for the difference between the two 2016 survey estimates (0.46% and 1.05%). Chance could plausibly have accounted for much of the difference, as the Food & You Survey was relatively small. Some people might eat a diet with no animal products but not describe themselves as vegan. Some people might have answered the questions inaccurately. The surveys might have hidden biases in the selection of the participants despite efforts to minimise this.
1
https:/www.food.gov. uk/sites/default/files/ media/document/ foodandyou_wave4_ chapter_1_tables_0. xlsx
