Winning the Race Against Recidivism: What We Know, What We Don't, and Where To Go From Here

There’s been a lot of talk in the news lately about vegetarians going back to eating meat. I’ve also had a few clients and colleagues ask about research on the impact of “humane meat” alternatives on people choosing vegetarianism (or not). While there is some limited research on the former question, the latter remains largely unanswered; but these are important research topics. How many vegans and vegetarians resume eating animal products, and why? Does the apparent growing popularity of humane meat products undermine the efforts of vegan and vegetarian advocates? Let’s explore the topic...

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Psychologist Hal Herzog, PhD recently discussed this issue in his blog on the Psychology Today website. He begins with citing a CBS survey from 2005: “three times as many American adults admit to being "ex-vegetarians" than describe themselves as current vegetarians. This suggests that roughly 75% of people who quit eating meat eventually change their minds and return to a diet that includes animal flesh. It seems that for most people, vegetarianism is a phase rather than a permanent change in lifestyle.”

I think it’s a bit of a leap to estimate a vegetarian “recidivism” rate based on the CBS poll, most importantly because people who describe themselves as vegetarians are not necessarily vegetarian. But I think Herzog’s conclusion is exactly right: vegetarianism is often a phase and, for one or more reasons, many vegetarians return to eat animal flesh. This is a problem for vegetarian advocates who spend so much energy and so many resources persuading people to try vegetarianism. I think it’s time for us to focus just as much on helping people stay vegetarian.

In a small qualitative study, Herzog and research partner Morgan Childers surveyed 77 former vegetarians and asked about their reasons for resuming meat consumption. Here is what they found, with responses grouped into five general categories:

• 35% said “health”
• 26% said “hassle”
• 18% said “cravings”
• 15% said “social”
• 3% said “ethical”

It’s not surprising to see health appear high on the list. Vegetarian advocates know all too well that people go back to eating meat for health issues that are occasionally real, but often just perceived. As advocates, we need to do more to support the long-term health of would-be vegetarians and vegans, including being up-front about the potential limitations of entirely plant-based diets. For more on this topic, see TheVeganRD.com’s blog regarding why it’s important for vegans and vegetarians to be “picky about nutrition.”

Next on the list was “hassle,” which Herzog says includes difficulty finding high-quality fruits and vegetables and resistance to preparing meatless dishes. The latter point has come up frequently in HRC’s research. One common theme we found in focus groups with semi-vegetarian women was resistance to preparing multiple meals for households that include meat-eaters. The “hassle” of preparing different meals for husbands/partners/children sometimes overcame the participants’ initial reasons for being vegetarian, which usually began when they were cooking only for themselves.

Vegan and vegetarian advocates need to do more to combat social pressures and support maintenance of plant-based diets through resources oriented toward health and convenience – i.e., more on “how” instead of just “why” vegetarian. I believe time will see an increase in the availability of high-quality vegan products and an erosion of the social stigma associated with vegetarian (and veganism). But advocates still must do our part, beginning with recognizing that vegetarian recidivism might be more widespread than we thought, and understanding how to change it.

One question that several people have asked me is about data on the impact of “humane” animal product alternatives promoted through various certification programs. A recent TODAY.com article by Rina Raphael offered a vague answer in the title: “Some vegetarians beat a ‘humane’ retreat back to meat.” But this is qualified later in the article when Humane Farm Animal Care is quoted as saying “it hasn’t seen a dramatic increase in vegetarians jumping ship.” There is currently no solid data to answer this question, however, and most of the speculation seems to be based on personal stories and anecdotes.

I do think this is an important long-term question for vegetarian advocates and in fact HRC would welcome partnering with others on a research project. However, for advocates our immediate focus should be on the more substantial and proven reasons that people have for giving up vegetarianism. This includes providing information on maintaining good health, creating resources for finding vegetarian foods and preparing quick meal variations, and setting up communities to keep vegetarians and vegans from feeling socially isolated. Advocates do all of these things – we just need to do them better and more often.

Those of us who have been vegan/vegetarian for many years may forget how difficult it can be for some people to maintain such a significant change, especially during the first few months. But it is important for all advocates to remember that handing someone a five-page booklet at a concert may not be sufficient to convince them to become vegetarian and stay that way. Advocating vegetarianism to most people requires the mentality of running a marathon, not a sprint.