How Many Vegetarians?

by Keith Akers

The VSC is frequently asked how many vegetarians there are. This is a question which has been asked for many years by vegetarians as well as by others who are interested in trends in society. It is a question which another noted national vegetarian group, the Vegetarian Resource Group, has tried to answer for over a decade, by using polls.

The latest poll, a 2003 Harris Interactive Poll puts the figure at 2.8% of the U. S. population. Because of the margin of error of the sample of over 1,000 adults -- which is actually is 3%, greater than the estimated number of vegetarians C this cannot be cited with certainty, but it tracks well with previous poll results. In 1994 and 1997, similar polls resulted in a figure of about 1% vegetarians; in 2000, a poll yielded a figure of 2.5%. One surprising thing about the current poll, in contrast to others, is that a majority of the vegetarians were also vegan.

Poll figures are difficult to interpret because in the past polls have been conducted with insufficient attention to the meaning of the term "vegetarian." For example, in the early 1990's Vegetarian Times conducted a survey that came up with a figure of 7% of the U. S. population. In 2002, a Time CNN Harris Interactive Survey showed a figure of 4% of the population was vegetarian. This might lead one to believe that the number of vegetarians was declining.

But these latter two surveys just asked people "are you a vegetarian?" The Vegetarian Times survey, in fact, went on to show that a majority of those who answered "yes" to this question in fact ate chicken, fish, or even red meat. The VRG polls simply asked the question, "Please tell me which of the following foods, if any, you NEVER EAT: Meat, Poultry, Fish/Seafood, Dairy Products, Eggs, Honey." Only those who said that they never ate anything in the first three categories (counting fish/seafood as one category) was considered vegetarian, and only those who said they never ate anything in all six categories was considered vegan.

Another important thing to consider is that the market for vegetarian foods is much greater than the total number of vegetarians. Burger King, for example, does not even attempt to claim that their Veggie Burger meets the requirements of a vegetarian diet. It is estimated that 30% of the American public makes purchasing decisions based on issues such as the environment, social justice, health, and so forth.

-- Keith Akers