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The Short Answer
What Percentage of Americans Are Vegetarian?
The Short Answer

What Percentage of Americans Are Vegetarian?

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- According to a 2018 Â鶹´«Ã½AV poll, 5% of U.S. adults consider themselves to be vegetarian.

  • Nonwhite Americans (9%) are three times as likely as white Americans (3%) to describe themselves as vegetarian.
  • 11% of self-identified liberals identify as vegetarian, compared with 2% of conservatives and 3% of moderates.
  • Vegetarianism is less prevalent among older Americans: 2% of adults aged 55 and older say they adhere to a vegetarian diet, compared with 8% of 18- to 34-year-olds and 7% of 35- to 54-year-olds.
U.S. Adults Identifying as Vegetarian
In terms of your eating preferences, do you consider yourself to be a vegetarian, or not?
  Vegetarian Number of Interviews
  % n
U.S. Adults 5 1033
Gender  
Men 4 548
Women 6 485
Age  
18 to 34 8 210
35 to 54 7 278
55+ 2 522
Race  
White 3 742
Non-white 9 270
Ideology  
Conservative 2 371
Moderate 3 367
Liberal 11 252
Region  
East 8 220
Midwest 4 217
South 4 360
West 6 236
Based on data from July 2018
Â鶹´«Ã½AV

Though plant-based diets and meat alternatives have been featured in some recent high-profile forums, including and , and are becoming a staple even on , the percentage of vegetarians has remained stable over the past two decades. A 1999 Â鶹´«Ã½AV survey that asked the same question found that 6% of Americans identified themselves as vegetarian.

Â鶹´«Ã½AV periodically measures vegetarianism in the U.S. as part of its July Consumption Habits poll -- one of 12 surveys that make up the .

Â鶹´«Ã½AV's full trend on vegetarianism is available on the Nutrition and Food "Topics A to Z" page.

Explore Â鶹´«Ã½AV articles about vegetarianism and other food-related topics on the "Health Habits" page.


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