Juan Abad Madroñero, from the University of Warwick, updates us on a research study for our Society & Culture Portfolio which aims to understand the reasons behind why people become vegan and promote veganism.
In the past few years, there has been a massive increase in the number of vegans in the United Kingdom; it is undeniable that more and more people have made it a priority to align with the vegan lifestyle. As a Master’s student at the University of Warwick, I am undertaking a research study which aims to understand the reasons why people go vegan and promote veganism.
I have been vegan for over one year now and this, along with the growth of veganism in the past few years made me choose veganism as an interesting topic to be explored as part of my studies. My research project explores the reasons to adopt and promote veganism based on the voices of vegan advocates and activists. This research is relevant to the Vegan Society’s strategic aims in the sense that it explores veganism through the voices of committed vegans, exposing concerns and raising awareness of the use of other animals for human purposes. It also highlights human justice issues related to the use of other animals, as well as the environmental and health-related benefits of veganism.
The focus stands on the present situation of veganism concerning its adoption and promotion. In this context, this research attempts to answer: What are the reasons that make activists in the UK adopt and promote veganism; how are they perceived by doing so and what ways do they consider best to do it? This being said, it is necessary to understand that these aims are not claimed as facts or certainties but as an exploration based on the voices of a group of advocates that will hopefully be of interest for the wider vegan community.
The methodological approach is entirely qualitative with two methods: in-depth semi-structured interviews and social media content analysis of the Veganuary campaign. The individual perspectives of advocates on the adoption and promotion of veganism are explored to understand what leads people to veganism and what mechanisms and styles might be facilitate this. The Veganuary campaign in 2018, which aims to encourage people to try a vegan diet during January, is explored due to its growing relevance and importance in the UK context.
In this study, I have tried to address different topics such as the different understandings of veganism, how it can be promotion, the public perception of vegans, and a campaign case study aiming to highlight areas of good practice and relevant features to understand the vegan movement.
Some preliminary conclusions are that (i), for these activists and advocates, veganism is mainly about understanding our impact on the lives of animals, (ii) the promotion of veganism is a question of spreading the message, and (iii) the Veganuary campaign works along this understanding.
Understanding how activists are involved, and the reasons for such involvement is key in this research. As such, the findings may be particularly relevant for people interested in becoming vegan, as well as vegan organisations, providing theoretical perspectives and experiences of those involved in vegan advocacy about what works well.
This is an exciting project that I hope will prove useful for the vegan movement. I look forward to sharing my analysis with the Vegan Society and the Researcher Network community – stay tuned!
The views expressed by our Research News contributors are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.
For more information, please contact Juan at: [email protected]
The views expressed by our Research News contributors are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.
