An article recently made me rethink some of my previous beliefs about animal advocacy.

Here’s the quote that stuck with me:

The fact is, very few people are vegetarians; even most vegetarians eat meat. There have been several studies, including a very large one by the Department of Agriculture, where they asked people one day: Describe your diet. And 5 percent said they were vegetarians. Well, then they called the same people back a couple of days later and asked them about what they ate in the last 24 hours. And over 60 percent of these vegetarians had eaten meat.

Assuming it’s true, what can we glean from that? A few things, actually:

• People misuse the term “vegetarian.” This is probably partially due to ignorance (eg. “but chicken isn’t meat, is it?”) and partially due to convenience (eg. “I just say I’m vegetarian because it’s easier than saying that the only meat I eat is fish and I only eat fish once a week.”)
• People prefer to identify as vegetarians. There’s something appealing about calling oneself vegetarian and identifying as part of the veg community. People like vegetarians and vegetarianism.

But mostly, we can learn that there’s work for animal advocates.
We don’t just need to educate people about the hows and whys of veganism, we need to make it stick.

How do we do that?
Well, frankly, I’m not entirely sure. I’m just one person with one brain and I haven’t got all the answers.  But I’ve got some ideas:

1. Build and expand vegan communities where people feel encouraged, supported, and able to be vegan. People identify as vegetarian or vegan for a reason. I believe that reason is because they actually want to be vegetarian or vegan. If they don’t act as vegetarians or vegans that’s probably mostly due to challenges in their lives. Those challenges can be better met through regular interaction with thriving vegan communities – people who have themselves overcome the same challenges and who can offer advice and support. Where do these communities already exist? One excellent resource is Meetup. Check out http://vegan.meetup.com/
2. Remind people of the hows and whys. These veg-wannabes obviously know some of the reasons to be vegetarian or vegan, but do they know all of the reasons? They know how to eat veg some of the time but they probably don’t know some bit of crucial information that will help keep them eating a plant-based diet. That crucial piece is different for each person so it just takes a simple question, “what’s stopping you from eating vegan all the time?” They’ll usually list a few reasons and you can go from there with suggested solutions.
3. Remember change is usually gradual. Many of the people who call themselves vegetarian will go vegetarian eventually. Identifying as vegetarian before cutting meat out of their diet is just part of their process. Any kind of change, be it smoking cessation or going vegan, involves a lot of back-and-forth. Relapse is common and is NOT a sign of failure; temporary set-backs are just part of the process.

Got more ideas yourself? Please share!

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Sections: Vegan Activism
Topics: activism, advocate, meat-eater, relapse, set-back, stay vegan, sticking power, studies, veg, Vegan, vegetarian