Veganuary 2016 Spared the Lives of Millions of Animals

Compiling an estimate of farmed animal lives spared by participants in the Veganuary campaign is complex and requires making a number of assumptions. It also requires using relatively imprecise data (diet change) to calculate a specific number of lives spared, which is subject to limitations.

This year we enlisted the expertise of research organisation Faunalytics to help us compile and collect the post-January survey data. They used an approach similar to our internal analysis in 2015, and have provided an estimate for each time period, and also estimate “lifetime” changes.

It is important to note that Faunalytics’ analysis of “lives spared by Veganuary” is more accurately described as the behavior change that took place during Veganuary. While we are able to evaluate changes in participant behavior over time, we are not able to isolate Veganuary as the sole or even primary reason for those changes.

  • The analysis is subject to a number of assumptions and limitations, as described in Veganuary 2016 Research Results – Lives Spared Addendum. With these in mind, the cautious estimate is that the behavior change exhibited during the month of January 2016 spared nearly 24,000 animals. Most of that dietary change continued in the first week of February, sparing an additional estimated 5,700 animals.
  • Using the same general approach and allowing for recidivism, Faunalytics then estimated the “lifetime” changes that might occur if people stick with the diet they were eating during the first week of February. It is estimated that more than 3.8 million animals could be spared under this scenario*.

Our mission at Veganuary is to reduce the suffering of animals, and we publish this sort of data – though difficult to calculate – to give our participants something tangible they can feel proud of. Too often are individual actions dismissed as being ineffective, but our hope is that through Veganuary we can demonstrate how those actions combine into something significant and life-changing.

On behalf of the animals, thank you.

Please note: we are combining relatively precise figures for the month of January and the first week of February with imprecise speculation about participants’ lifetimes. This number is derived from many assumptions and is subject to some potentially critical limitations. In fact, it is entirely possible that the actual number of lives spared during and after Veganuary is different than the number shown here by an order of magnitude (or more).

Veganuary 2016 Animals Spared infographic

How many animals saved per £ spent?

Using the 2016 campaign budget of £50,000:

For every £ spent, 76 animals are spared from ever experiencing the horrors of animal agriculture.

  • 3,800,000 / £50,000 = 76 animals saved per £ spent.
  • £10 = 760 animals saved
  • £100 = 7,600 animals saved

**Please see below for additional currencies

To be an ‘Animal Millionaire’ a donation of £13,158 will help us save 1 million animals.

**Additional currencies:

How many animals saved per $US spent?

£50,000 British Pound Sterling equals $71,808.75 US Dollars (current exchange rate):

  • 3,800,000 / $71,808.75 = 52.918342124 (53 animals)
  • 53 animals per $1 spent
  • $10 = 530 animals saved
  • $100 = 5,300 animals saved

*It may be possible to adjust this estimate in August/September 2016, when we publish the results of our six-month follow-up survey. Please see the Veganuary 2016 Research Results – Lives Spared Addendum for full calculations of the statistics quoted above.  Click the link to the Veganuary 2016 results. Thanks to Animal Place for the imagery. 

Thinking of trying vegan?

Veganuary inspires and supports people all over the world to try vegan for January and beyond. Millions of people have already taken part.
Will you join them?