With more people becoming interested in veganism, it’s no surprise that this sustainable lifestyle choice is becoming increasingly popular among young people. A recent study has found that Gen Z is the most vegan-friendly generation yet, with more than half of all respondents saying they would be willing to try a vegan diet.
Generation Z are people born between 1997 and 2012. They are currently about 16-25-year-olds. Millennials are following this type of diet and lifestyle. Even some surveys show that Millenials are more likely to immediately take action compared to Generation Z.
Becoming a vegan is a sure way of completely avoiding participation in the abuse of farmed animals. Vegans are a living demonstration of the fact that we do not need to exploit animals for food.
Peter Singer
So why Gen Z?
There are many reasons why Gen Z might be more open to a vegan diet than previous generations. Gen Z is a generation that is concerned about the environment because they are born during the environmental crises. They are also a generation that is more health-conscious than ever before. The study surprisingly showed that this generation consumes fewer cigarettes and alcohol than the previous generations. It is arguable if technology and mobile phones are the new “drugs” of the 21. century.
Whatever the reasons, it’s clear that vegan lifestyle is on the rise among young people. And among those people, Gen Z is leading the way.
However, the Gen Z enjoys more fast food and quick choices rather than spending time on food preparation. Therefore most likely the generation is raising into vegan fast food eaters. Meat alternatives and vegan fast food are becoming enormously popular, even among people who aren’t vegan. Still, compared to traditional junk food options, this one is far more acceptable and healthier, as it is made from plants. You can check out our article about lab-grown meat if you are interested in vegan meat alternatives.
Also Read: Taking Actions Against Animal Cruelty: A Fight We Should All Be Part Of.
It is not only just about the diet
Different times and generations are coming, and even now we can feel drastic changes. Some old crafts and human jobs are being replaced by computers. For some jobs people will have to take over. But most likely, they won’t be that interested.
Why is that?
Well, imagine telling a young person nowadays to leave the comfort of their home and go work in the bloody slaughterhouse for the whole day. First of all, they wouldn’t sacrifice their comfort. Secondly, they have much more empathy and are greatly more separated from the traditional slaughter practices, than older generations. Today you see only the final products on supermarket shelves. Nobody is questioning their origins and where they came from. Finally, it would not only be an emotional stress for the animals, but also for the young person. So no doubt, that slaughterhouses will no longer exist in modern areas when Gez Z completely takes over!
Gen Z is the true digital native, and it will turn the whole “game” upside down. They like comfort and spending time online, more than older generations. They like speed and they are faster at problem-solving because they like shortcuts. Most likely, everything that can switch from the traditional worker to a computer will rule the future. It is arguable if that is good for society or not, but for sure all the re-modeling will be followed accordingly along with the other things.
Some facts and statistics
Supermarket News published a report where 79% of the Gen Z population from the survey is choosing to go vegan for one day a week. 65% say they want more vegan diet in general. That is more than half of one generation. Promising results come from the millennials with slightly lower statistics.
According to ourworldindata.org, the food system is currently responsible for over a quarter of global greenhouse emissions, where animal agriculture accounts for 15% of those emissions. So by reducing animal consumption in our diet, we also reduce our carbon footprint.
Since Gen Z is born in the middle of the climate crisis, they are more likely to respect and implement all different practices and activities to save the environment.
Older generations clearly understand the reality of global pollution, but don’t have the same level of urgency as millennials or Gen Z. So it is not expected of them to make choices based on environmental issues. Even harder, to understand connection between food and global pollution. They grew up in different times, where hyper-production wasn’t a thing. Because the truth is, what you eat is an important shift that changes a person’s lifestyle and perspective about the world. Technology came to a point where plant-based products can be the same in taste and price as traditional food containing meat. Vegan food can be a leading choice, not just an option anymore.
Conclusion
Looks like better times are coming. Times in which we will not see animal slaughtering, times when animal corpses will not cover supermarket shelves, and times when no hyper-production of animals will take place. All of that automatically leads to reduced pollution and a cleaner planet. As our previous article said – the future is vegan and it is looking pretty good!
