With New Year’s resolutions in full swing, many of us may wonder why veganism comes naturally to some while others struggle to keep up with it.
We have commissioned research that explores the reasons stopping people from becoming vegan, with results expected to be published at the end of the year.
The first ever project of its kind will be carried out by vegan academics, Dr Richard Twine and Prof Claire Parkinson, from the Centre for Human-Animal Studies (CfHAS) at Edge Hill University.
Research questions will be directed at non-vegans and aim to explore how the public perceives veganism and which messages or tactics are effective in the promotion of the lifestyle.
Dr Lorna Brocksopp, our Research Officer, said: “Despite the world increasingly heading in the vegan direction, there are a number of difficulties that prevent people from transitioning, and we’d like to recognise and tackle those.
“There are many methods of vegan outreach but it’s unclear which are effective and which aren’t, and this research will change that. “We hope it will inform our work, as well as that of other vegan organisations and activists, to help more people go vegan and stay vegan.”
The project will involve a questionnaire and household interviews exploring barriers to veganism, and focus groups to establish what constitutes effective communication.
Dr Twine said: “This is an exciting opportunity to enter into dialogue with non-vegans on the subject of veganism, to better understand what veganism means to them and to explore this in terms of social differences such as gender and age. We hope we can make a further contribution through this work to the growing literature on sustainable transition.”
Prof Parkinson added: “With so many media messages competing for our attention every day, this research can help to answer questions about the efficacy of advocacy communication strategies. Thanks to this funding from The Vegan Society, we have the chance to gain meaningful insights into how different groups receive and interpret messages about veganism.”
