Most Brits don’t know important facts about animal farming, YouGov survey reveals
26th December 2024: Veganuary – the global campaign to try vegan in January and beyond – will today give ITVX viewers pause for thought with jarring ads revealing the ‘weird’ reality of sausages.
The new-format ‘pause’ ads, which appear on-screen when the viewer presses pause, will run across top trending programs until 1st January when Veganuary 2025 begins. The static ads feature what appears to be a pig at first glance, but on closer inspection reveal an image that might just put people off their pigs in blankets.
You can view and download the ad here.
The ads coincide with new data showing most Brits don’t know some important facts about the animal products we eat. According to a YouGov survey* conducted this month:
- The ads coincide with new data showing most Brits don’t know some important facts about the animal products we eat. According to a YouGov survey* conducted this month:
- The majority of people (76%) think more than 25% of global calorie intake comes from animal products. According to Oxford University researchers, the real figure is just 18%, yet animal farming uses 83% of global farmland**.
- Just under two-thirds of people (62%) think 75% or less of animals farmed globally are raised on factory farms. The real figures are hard to confirm but the best available data suggests at least 75% of land-based farmed animals are factory farmed. As most fish farmed around the world are reared in factory-type conditions, the total for all farmed animals is much higher than 75%***.
- Around a third of people (31%) think 50% or less of antibiotics used globally are given to animals raised for food. A further third (32%) don’t know what this figure is. Studies suggest the real figure is around 73% of all antibiotics sold globally are used in animals raised for food****.
- Around half of people (55%) think there are more chickens on earth than people, 20% think there are fewer chickens than people and 18% don’t know. In reality, global slaughter data suggests chickens outnumber people 3 to 1*.
- A majority of people (72%) do not know that salmon and trout are carnivorous species and, on fish farms, they’re fed wild-caught fish.
Reflecting on these findings, Veganuary’s International Head of Policy and Communications, Toni Vernelli, says: “Most of us don’t know some important facts about the animal foods we eat. Veganuary is asking everyone to face the startling reality of how our food choices impact animals and the planet and consider whether trying vegan for January might just be a little less weird.”
Notes to Editor
Veganuary is free to join, and people can take part at veganuary.com to receive our Celebrity eCookbook, the Official Veganuary Starter Kit and 31 daily emails packed with nutritional info, delicious recipes, meal plans and helpful advice.
Since Veganuary launched its first pledge in January 2014 – millions of people, coming from almost every country in the world, have taken part. From humble beginnings on a kitchen table in Yorkshire, there are now official Veganuary campaigns in the UK, US, Germany, Chile, Argentina, India, Spain, Australia, Austria, Brazil, France, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and Canada. It has truly become a global phenomenon.
Contact
Toni Vernelli, International Head of Policy and Communications, Veganuary
T: 07505 866 548
*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,415 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 3rd – 4th December 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
**https://josephpoore.com/Science%20360%206392%20987%20%20Accepted%20Manuscript.pdf
***https://ourworldindata.org/how-many-animals-are-factory-farmed
****https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7766021/pdf/antibiotics-09-00918.pdf
*****https://ourworldindata.org/how-many-animals-get-slaughtered-every-day
