Vegans, vegetarians make up small percentage of US adults
- Just 4% of Americans identify as vegetarian and 1% as vegan
- That's a slight decline from the early 2000s
- Liberals and low-income earners are more likely to go meat-free
(NewsNation) — Just 4% of U.S. adults identify as vegetarian and only 1% identify as vegan, according to new data.
Gallup polling surveyed Americans, with the findings holding steady from the past few years. However, it is a slight decline from 1999 and 2001, when 6% of Americans said they were vegetarian.
The groups most likely to be vegetarian were people who identified as liberal politically and those who were low-income. Women were also more likely to be vegetarian than men.
Plant-based products have become increasingly popular, even appearing on the menus of fast-food restaurants. While there are many different reasons, from health to environmentalism, that people may opt out of meat, the products may also appeal to those simply looking to cut down on the amount of meat they consume.
In 2019, Gallup found that half of Americans surveyed were familiar with plant-based products and four in ten had tried them. However, according to the latest survey results, it seems few Americans are moving away from meat altogether.