WHAT VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN PRODUCTS WILL AMERICAN ADULTS PURCHASE?
QUESTIONS ASKED BY THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP IN A NATIONAL POLL
VRG asked the following in a national Harris Poll. (For a more complete report, see Vegetarian Journal Issue 4, 2020, which you can find online at vrg.org)
Which of the following, if any, best describes your eating behavior?
I never eat meat, fish, seafood, poultry, dairy, or eggs.
I never eat meat, fish, seafood, or poultry.
I never eat meat, fish, seafood, poultry, dairy, or eggs when eating out or getting
takeout, but eat one or more of these foods at home.
I never eat meat, fish, seafood, or poultry when eating out or getting takeout, but
eat one or more of these foods at home.
When eating out or getting takeout, I sometimes eat meals without meat, fish,
poultry, dairy, or eggs.
When eating out or getting takeout, I sometimes eat meals without meat, fish, or
poultry.
None of these.
We considered those who never eat meat, fish, seafood, or poultry — plus those who never eat meat, fish, seafood, poultry, dairy, or eggs — as vegetarian. We classified that second category of vegetarians who don't eat dairy or eggs also as vegan. Because we use the word "never" and don't just ask if a person considers him/herself vegetarian, our numbers may be lower th"an others. Be wary of comparing to polls in other countries that ask if you are vegetarian or vegan, since people may self define differently. We didn't ask about honey.
More than half of the U.S. adult population (54%) always or sometimes eats vegetarian (including vegan) meals when eating out. One fourth (25%) of U.S. adults always or sometimes eats vegan meals when eating out. Six percent of American adults are vegetarian (including vegans) all the time, and half of the vegetarians (three percent of American adults) are also vegan.
We asked the following additional question, which may interest food companies, food services, restaurants, marketers, researchers, and students.
If you're looking to buy a vegetarian product, which of the following would you purchase? (Please select all that apply.)
Your favorite veggie burger cooked on the same grill where meat is cooked, if the
grill is cleaned first.
A vegan burger at a fast food restaurant (e.g. Burger King, Subway, Hardee's).
Your favorite dessert containing sugar, if the source of sugar isn't specified.
A vegetarian dish containing leafy greens such as broccoli, kale, or collards.
A vegetarian dish containing whole foods such as lentils, chickpeas, or rice.
A meat alternative grown from animal cell DNA obtained 10 years ago, which does not
currently involve the raising of animals.
Your favorite dessert containing sugar whitened through a bone char filter, if bone
char is not in the sugar.
None of these.
WOULD PURCHASE A VEGETARIAN DISH CONTAINING LEAFY GREENS SUCH AS BROCCOLI, KALE, OR COLLARDS
33% Total
43% Vegetarians including vegans
39% Those who sometimes or always eat vegan meals when eating out
40% Those who sometimes or always eat vegetarian, including vegan, meals when eating
out
26% Presumably never eats vegetarian or vegan meals
28% ages 18-34
29% male
37% female
36% urban
31% suburban
36% rural
32% Black
27% Latino
42% Asian
Of note is that about two in five of those who eat vegetarian, including vegan, meals sometimes or always when eating out (43%) would purchase a vegetarian dish containing leafy greens such as broccoli, kale, or collards if they were looking to buy a vegetarian product, as your favorite dietitian and mom/dad may have suggested. For restaurants, foodservices, and companies that are only thinking meat analogs, producing items with green vegetables should seriously be taken into consideration.
On the other hand, since over one half of all adults are not saying they would purchase leafy green dishes, it should not be assumed that a vegetarian or someone eating vegetarian meals (or not eating vegetarian meals) is automatically meeting suggestions by the USDA/USDHHS Dietary Guidelines for Americans that a healthy eating pattern includes a variety of vegetables from all of the subgroups, which includes dark green vegetables. When evaluating a vegetarian (or nonvegetarian) client's diet, a dietitian or other medical professional would specifically have to ask what is being consumed to know if all the subgroups are being included.
WOULD PURCHASE A VEGETARIAN DISH CONTAINING WHOLE FOODS SUCH AS LENTILS, CHICKPEAS, OR RICE
33% Total
49% Vegetarians including vegans
43% Those who sometimes or always eat vegan meals when eating out
41% Those who sometimes or always eat vegetarian, including vegan, meals when eating
out
23% Presumably never eats vegetarian or vegan meals
33% ages 18-34
30% male
35% female
34% urban
33% suburban
30% rural
27% Black
30% Latino
43% Asian
One in three American adults and nearly half of vegetarians including vegans (49%) would purchase a vegetarian dish containing whole foods such as lentils, chickpeas or rice if they were looking to purchase a vegetarian product. The USDA/USDHHS Dietary Guidelines for Americans said that a healthy eating pattern includes legumes (beans and peas).
WOULD PURCHASE A VEGAN BURGER AT A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT
25% Total
34% Vegetarians including vegans
34% Those who sometimes or always eat vegan meals when eating out
32% Those who sometimes or always eat vegetarian, including vegan, meals when eating
out
17% Presumably never eats vegetarian or vegan meals
26% ages 18-34
26% male
24% female
32% urban
22% suburban
21% rural
25% Black
28% Latino
31% Asian
22% high school or less education
22% some college
30% college grad or more
24% Annual household income less than $50,000
28% Annual household income over $100,000
Many chains and restaurants have added vegan burgers to their menus, and a quarter of Americans (25%) say if they were looking to buy a vegetarian product, they would purchase a vegan burger at a fast food restaurant. About one third of those who live in urban areas (32%) say the same. However, if looking to buy a vegetarian product, more Americans say, they would purchase a vegetarian dish containing leafy greens such as broccoli, kale, or collards (33%) or vegetarian dishes containing whole foods such as lentils, chickpeas, or rice (33%) than a vegan burger at a fast food restaurant (25%).
WOULD PURCHASE YOUR FAVORITE VEGGIE BURGER COOKED ON THE SAME GRILL WHERE MEAT IS COOKED, IF THE GRILL IS CLEANED FIRST
23% Total
25% Vegetarians including vegans
30% Those that sometimes or always eat vegan meals when eating out
31% Those that sometimes or always eat vegetarian, including vegan, meals when
eating out
13% Presumably never eats vegetarian or vegan meals
30% ages 18-34
25% male
21% female
28% urban
22% suburban
17% rural
23% Black
26% Latino
27% Asian
WOULD PURCHASE YOUR FAVORITE DESSERT CONTAINING SUGAR, IF THE SOURCE OF THE SUGAR ISN'T SPECIFIED
19% Total
23% Vegetarians including vegans
23% Those who sometimes or always eat vegan meals when eating out
24% Those who sometimes or always eat vegetarian, including vegan, meals when eating
out
14% Presumably never eats vegetarian or vegan meals
23% ages 18-34
21% male
18% female
20% urban
21% suburban
12% rural
19% Black
21% Latino
22% Asian
WOULD PURCHASE YOUR FAVORITE DESSERT CONTAINING SUGAR WHITENED THROUGH A BONE CHAR FILTER, IF BONE CHAR IS NOT IN THE SUGAR
10% Total
13% Vegetarians including vegans
16% Those who sometimes or always eat vegan meals when eating out
15% Those who sometimes or always eat vegetarian, including vegan, meals when eating
out
5% Presumably never eats vegetarian or vegan meals
15% ages 18-34
13% male
7% female
15% urban
8% suburban
6% rural
11% Black
12% Latino
9% Asian
We were surprised that among individuals who presumably never eat vegetarian or vegan meals, nearly three times as many say if they were looking for a vegetarian product they would purchase their favorite dessert containing sugar if the source isn't specified than would purchase their favorite dessert with sugar whitened through bone char filter, if bone char is not in the sugar (14% vs. 5%). Since they already eat meat, why would they care? Meanwhile, vegetarians including vegans are more likely to say, if they were looking for a vegetarian product, they would purchase their favorite dessert containing sugar if they didn't know the source of the sugar than would purchase their favorite dessert containing sugar processed through bone char filter, if bone char is not in the sugar (23% vs. 13%). To meet the needs of all consumers, companies should label the sources of their ingredients so customers can make their own decisions.
WOULD PURCHASE A MEAT ALTERNATIVE GROWN FROM ANIMAL CELL DNA OBTAINED TEN YEARS AGO, WHICH DOES NOT CURRENTLY INVOLVE THE RAISING OF ANIMALS
12% Total
19% Vegetarians including vegans
19% Those who sometimes or always eat vegan meals when eating out
18% Those who sometimes or always eat vegetarian, including vegan, meals when eating
out
5% Presumably never eats vegetarian or vegan meals
20% ages 18-34
14% male
10% female
17% urban
10% suburban
6% rural
16% Black
16% Latino
15% Asian
Will consumers buy a meat alternative grown from animal cell DNA? As of now, those who don't eat vegetarian or vegan meals don't seem to be ready for this. About five times as many of those who presumably don't eat vegetarian or vegan meals say, if they were looking for a vegetarian product, they would purchase a vegetarian dish with leafy greens such as broccoli, kale, or collards (26%) or a vegetarian dish containing whole foods such as lentils, chickpeas, or rice (23%) than a meat alternative grown from animal cell DNA obtained ten years ago, which does not currently involve the raising of animals (5%).
BEVERAGES LABELED SOYMILK
We also asked: Which of the following do you expect from a beverage labeled soymilk? Please select all that apply. If a beverage is labeled soymilk I expect:
| RESPONDENTS | TOTAL | TOTAL VEGETARIAN RESPONDENTS (INCLUDES VEGANS) |
| To be able to use it in a similar way on cereal as cow's milk. | 43% | 53% |
| To be able to use it in a similar way in cooking as cow's milk. | 38% | 41% |
| It to have the exact same amount of Vitamin D as cow's milk. | 22% | 20% |
| It to have the exact same amount of calcium as cow's milk. | 21% | 15% |
| To have the same allergic reaction or lack of allergic reaction as I might have to cow's milk. | 10% | 13% |
| It to have milk from a cow. | 8% | 8% |
| None of these. | 23% | 15% |
Some groups believe that plant milks should not be labeled milk, as people will confuse these items with cow's milk. However, according to the survey, only 8% of American adults say, if a beverage is labeled soymilk, they expect it to have milk from a cow.
Seven percent of individuals with a high school education or less say they expect a beverage labeled soymilk to have milk from a cow, 8% with some college education expected this, and 9% of college grads or more expected a beverage labeled soymilk to have milk from cow. Education does not seem to have much impact.
As about half of vegetarians (including vegans) (53%) expect that a beverage labeled soymilk can be used in a similar way on cereal as cow's milk, calling this item a milk could be helpful to the consumer. However, as some vegetarians (including vegans) expect soymilk to have the same amount of calcium (15%) and vitamin D (20%) as cow's milk, this suggests clear nutrition labeling of all food products is important.
REASONS FOR FOOD CHOICES
The survey also asked, "Which of the following is most important to you when making food choices? Please select up to two choices."
| TOTAL | TOTAL VEGETARIAN RESPONDENTS (INCLUDES VEGANS) |
EATS VEGETARIAN EATS VEGAN MEALS ALWAYS OR SOMETIMES WHEN EATING OUT (includes vegan meals) |
EATS VEGAN MEALS ALWAYS OR SOMETIMES WHEN EATING OUT | |
| Taste | 57% | 27% | 48% | 46% |
| Cost | 38% | 24% | 31% | 29% |
| Personal health | 36% | 39% | 42% | 45% |
| Convenience | 10% | 10% | 10% | 9% |
| The Environment | 10% | 16% | 14% | 16% |
| Animal welfare | 10% | 31% | 13% | 15% |
| Ethics | 8% | 17% | 12% | 11% |
| Religious beliefs | 5% | 7% | 7% | 8% |
For those who always or sometimes eat vegetarian meals when eating out, taste (48%), personal health (42%), and cost (31%) top the list of what is most important to them when making food choices. Similarly, among those who always or sometimes eat vegan meals when eating out, taste (46%) tops the list of what is most important to them when making food choices, followed by personal health (45%) and cost (29%). For vegetarians (including vegans) personal health (39%) tops the list of most important to them when making food choices, followed by animal welfare (31%), taste (27%), cost (24%), ethics (17%), and the environment (16%). While all groups find importance for personal health, taste, and cost, vegetarians (including vegans) are more likely to say animal welfare is important to them than taste or cost. To expand the market beyond current consumers, businesses may want to pay attention to the cost of their products or meals.
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of The Vegetarian Resource Group from June 22-24, 2020 among 2,074 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact [email protected]. Please note that this poll was taken during the COVID-19 pandemic. We do not know what influence, if any, that may have had on the survey answers.
See: vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm#poll
for more poll details, as well as survey information on these topics:
How many Blacks, Latinos, and Asians are vegetarian and vegan?
When is ethics at least one consideration when people are making decisions?
