Survey finds 82% of Veganuary participants plan ‘significant’ diet changes (2024)

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Survey finds 82% of Veganuary participants plan ‘significant’ diet changes? ›

The results of the Veganuary campaign have revealed 82 per cent of people who took part in 2024 plan to make significant diet changes after participating. The results from the participant survey found that the 82 per cent plan to either stay fully vegan or reduce animal products by at least 50 per cent.

Veganuary, the global organisation encouraging people to try vegan in January and beyond, has released the results from its 2024 participant survey that found the majority of respondents (82%) plan to make 'significant' and permanent diet changes after participating.

Despite the article claiming “the declining popularity of veganism”, data suggests the opposite, with research by finder.com showing the number of vegans grew by 1.1 million between 2023 and 2024. Other reports found that 25 million people sampled vegan food this Veganuary.

Around half saw some improvement to their overall health (48%), with increased energy (47%), improved mood (48%), better skin (38%) and desired change in body weight (35%) being the most common benefits. Ninety-eight percent would recommend Veganuary to a friend or family member.

While Tuemmers' story is extreme, a 2023 survey found 85% of participants had reduced their consumption of animal products since doing Veganuary, “with 23% becoming vegan, 43% reducing consumption by at least half and a further 20% by at least a quarter”.

According to Kantar data, in 2023 supermarkets saw a 21% uplift in sales across their own-brand plant-based ranges during Veganuary. "Due to increased consumer demand, Aldi launched its biggest-ever vegan range and its frozen Plant Menu range saw a massive 200% increase in sales on Veganuary 2022.

Today, the UN says meat and dairy (farmed livestock) accounts for 11.2% of manmade greenhouse gas emissions. But, if we all went vegan, scientists believe the world's food-related emissions might drop by 68% within 15 years, limiting global warming.

The majority of ex-vegans cite feeling hungry all the time, nutrient deficiencies, feelings of social isolation, challenges while travelling, and issues with weight management. The good news is that you can live a long, healthy life on a plant-based diet.

Another study found a 12% lower risk, but while research published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition agreed that a vegan diet can lower rates of certain chronic diseases, it did not find evidence that veganism led to a longer life.

For some, vegan alternatives are just simply too expensive. The current economic situation is also reflected in the public's sense of wellbeing: census data shows that just 24.2% of UK adults feel they have very high levels of satisfaction in their lives, while only 30.5% consider themselves happy.

Has veganism peaked? ›

Per Google Trends data spanning 2017 to 2022, global veganism search popularity peaked in Q3 and Q4 of 2019 with a score of just over 80. In Q1 of 2022, the global score for veganism popularity dipped below 60.

People who follow a plant-based diet account for 75 percent less in greenhouse gas emissions than those who eat more than 3.5 ounces of meat a day, and a vegan diet also results in significantly less harm to land, water and biodiversity, according to new research from the University of Oxford.

Veganuary is an annual challenge run by a UK nonprofit organisation that promotes and educates about veganism by encouraging people to follow a vegan lifestyle for the month of January. Since the event began in 2014, participation has increased each year.

If that's the difference a vegan makes in one day, imagine the number of animals that are saved every month, every year, or over the course of a lifetime simply by choosing a vegan diet. That's around 30 animals a month, 365 animals a year, and thousands of animals in a single human lifetime.

Veganism isn't a switch. It's a series of choices that form part of your subconscious. It's an identity, not a temporary experience. Yet, 84% of vegetarians/vegans abandon their diet.

Veganuary supports 1.8 million people

In 2024, more than 1.8 million people chose to actively receive the campaign's resources via one or more of the campaign's official channels.

Vegan Food Market Insights

Global Vegan Food Market size was valued at around USD 16.5 Billion in 2022 and is poised to grow from USD Billion 18.23 in 2023 to USD 40.53 Billion by 2031, at a CAGR of 10.5% over the forecast period (2024–2031).

KEY MARKET INSIGHTS

The global vegan food market size was USD 33.14 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow from USD 37.37 billion in 2024 to USD 103.00 billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 13.51% during the forecast period.

In Q1 of 2022, the global score for veganism popularity dipped below 60. The trend was similar in the United States, with a peak score of more than 80 in 2019 and a gradual decline to about 60 in Q1 of 2022.

Recent research indicates substantial environmental benefits of a transition from meat to plant-based equivalents, assuming that most or all of meat is swapped for a plant-based equivalent.