April 4th, 2023 — Veganuary, the global organization encouraging people to try vegan in January and beyond, has today released the results from its 2023 participant survey* – the only survey that polls official Veganuary sign-ups. The results show that most respondents plan to make permanent diet changes after participating.
More than 700,000 people from 228 countries and territories signed up to take part in Veganuary 2023, breaking all previous records. (This does not include the many people who took part in Veganuary without signing up on the Veganuary website. For instance, a YouGov poll found that 4% of the UK population had taken part in Veganuary during January 2023.)
Here’s what Veganuary 2023 participants revealed about themselves:
- A month after signing up, almost half (40%) said animals were their number one motivation for trying vegan, followed by personal health (21%) and the environment (18%). Other reasons included for a change/challenge/curiosity (8%), global health (7%), and for a friend/partner/family member (4%).
- Half (53%) were still eating meat and/or fish when they signed up to take part, 29% were vegetarian, and 18% were vegan.
This is what respondents said about their Veganuary experience:
- Twenty-five percent of those who were not already vegan before Veganuary planned to stay vegan at the end of their pledge.
- Seventy-two percent of those not staying vegan plan to at least halve their intake of animal products going forward, and 69% are very/extremely likely to try vegan again in the future.
- In total, 78% of participants who were not already vegan when they signed up will permanently change their diet either by staying vegan or at least halving their intake of animal products.
- The number one reason people decided to stay vegan is that they learned more about veganism (24%), followed by improved health (19%), and finding it easier than expected (18%).
- Around half saw some improvement to their overall health (47%), with increased energy (46%), improved mood (49%), better skin (38%), and desired change in body weight (35%) being the most common benefits.
- Ninety-eight percent would recommend Veganuary to a friend or family member.
The Official Veganuary 2023 Survey Results can be viewed in more detail here.
Commenting on the results, Veganuary’s International Head of Communications, Toni Vernelli, said: “These incredible results show that Veganuary is so much more than a one-month pledge as taking part leads to lasting diet change for most participants. With 78% of our 2023 participants planning to at least halve their intake of animal products permanently – including 25% who plan to stay fully vegan, Veganuary really is driving positive change for animals, people, and the planet.”
She added: “We work very hard to equip our participants with as much useful advice, delicious recipes, and friendly support as possible, so it’s very rewarding to know that 98% would recommend Veganuary to others! This figure has been consistent for several years, demonstrating the value of Veganuary’s work in making plant-based eating easy and accessible for everyone.”
*These survey results only reflect the feedback from official sign-ups. Veganuary sent the survey to 79% of the 706,965 people who signed up during the 2023 campaign. It had a response rate of 3% (16,829 respondents).
Contact:
Toni Vernelli, International Head of Communications
[email protected]
07505 866 548
