Liberals Are 2.5 Times More Likely to Be Vegan Than Conservatives

The recently published 2018 Gallup Poll revealed that five percent of self-identified liberals in the United States consider themselves vegan—which is 2.5 times higher than the two percent of conservatives that identify as vegan. Overall, the survey found that three percent of the US population currently identify as vegan, a one-percent increase from the 2012 Gallup Poll. The poll results were analyzed by psychologist Gordon Hodson who explained that conservatives are not inclined to adopt meatless diets for social-justice causes such as animal rights and food equality, and are not supported by peers should they decide to remove animal products from their diets. “Given that people associate with those similar to themselves, liberals tend to hang out with liberals and conservatives tend to hang out with conservatives,” Hodson said. “As such, liberals truly will find more social support for the goal of avoiding meat consumption in their social circles.” The Gallup poll also found that more Americans (4 percent) who earn less than $30,000 identify as vegan than those in higher income brackets.