Veganism As a

Trend
Group 6
Observations
● 23/40 people are aware of the number of animal products they use in their daily life
● Out of 40 polled, only 1 person was vegan, 3 vegetarian, 1 pescatarian, 4 with other dietary
restrictions, and 31 non- restricted diets
● ‘Healthy’, ‘preachy’, ‘saves animals’, and ‘green’ were the main words used to describe veganism
● Some described pros were: saves animals, healthy, environmental, humane
● Cons included: tastes bad, expensive, inconvenient, restrictive, no meat
● Many of the reasons why individuals choose not to be vegan are the same as the cons: expenses,
inconvenience, and the fact that you can’t eat meat
Reports
Overall, we found that a majority of the surveyed population was not vegan or followed any dietary
restrictions. We also surveyed for opinions about veganism to see what kind of biases were found. It
was pretty evenly split between positively (healthy, green, humane) and negatively (preachy,
annoying, self-righteous) connotated words. However, when asked pros and cons, a wider variety of
cons were invented than pros, while mostly the same three words (healthy, green, and saving
animals) were used for pros. This showed us that veganism is known by the population as being
about the same things: health, humane, and environmental reasons. The cons and less positive
descriptive words from a few individuals showed us that there are some strong negative feelings
towards veganism as well, though most of the biases and reports individually were relatively neutral.

These results lead us to believe that most individuals feel pretty neutrally towards veganism. It
appears to not necessarily be a trend in this surveyed population, although it seems to be pretty well
known. There were select participants that did not like veganism, but some that stated the main
reason they weren’t vegan or had any dietary restrictions were due to forces outside their control,
like money and time constraints.
Surprise-Free Scenario
In the future, veganism will continue to be a trend that only affects about 25%
of the population. Based on the information from the surveys we took, only 5
people had dietary restrictions (pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan, etc.), while the
other 30 maintained a no restrictions diet. This trend wouldn’t change much
of anything if it continues to be the same. There would still be a market for
buying meat and other animal products because people would continue to
consume them.
Best-Case Scenario
If the trend of veganism reaches a mass it can stop animal cruelty such as the
farms that the animals are raised, where they are normally in extremely poor
conditions. This trend can cause many of Americans to become healthier
overall as it would cause people to be more knowledgeable of the foods they
consume. The trend would allow more plant based agriculture to flourish,
especially on a more local level. It could encourage people to treat the planet
better and reduce the carbon footprint. This trend may allow for a greener,
healthier planet.
Worst-Case Scenario
It could weaken many business across the world as many food packaging
companies are heavily focused on meat. The meat industry is huge, thus if it is
wiped out so will many jobs. Many Americans could also suffer from lack of
protein in their diet if it becomes a trend. Meat is a great source of protein
and if it is cut out of a diet it can have harmful effects including muscle loss.
While there are vegan options for protein, as a trend many users may not be
aware of those options
Summary
While the results lead us to believe that the individuals surveyed are neutral towards a vegan
lifestyle, 30 out of the 40 said they would be willing to try or already have tried a vegan hamburger
from a fast food restaurant. Some words that the group associated with veganism were negative,
like “difficult” and “expensive.” Once vegan items are offered at restaurants like Mcdonald’s, the
convenience and price might change their mind, seeing as most are already open minded to trying it.

Our surprise free scenario shows this trend affecting only 25% if the population, while our other
two scenarios show two extremes. Best case, veganism will allow demand for meat/animal
products to decrease, causing less animal cutely and a reduced carbon footprint. On the other
end, worst case shows that a lack of protein could become present, leaving individuals with
harmful effects.