Discrimination | Fiercevegan

Discrimination and Bias Against Vegans

What does the research say?

Vegans, many committed as part of their faith and spiritual practice, face ridicule, prejudice, and social marginalization. This is especially problematic in family systems and the workplace but also insidiously present in the media's negative portrayal and mockery of veganism. In one study, researchers found that 74% of news coverage related to veganism were "negatives"; 20.2% "neutral" and only 5.5% "positive". Prejudice against veganism are similar to religious prejudice and oppression; this makes sense considering that, for many vegans, the abstention from violence against animals used in the meat and dairy industries is fundamental to their spirituality.

Researchers MacInnis and Hodson (2015) studied participant attitudes toward vegans and found that they faced as much bias as racial and ethnic minorities who are common targets for such hatred. They found,

“...attitudes toward vegetarians and vegans were equivalent to, or more negative than, evaluations of common prejudice target groups… Both vegetarians and vegans were evaluated equivalently to immigrants, asexuals, and atheists, and significantly more negatively than Blacks. Vegetarians were evaluated equivalently to homosexuals, whereas vegans were evaluated more negatively than homosexuals.”

While this is a new area of scholarly research, here are some articles from the literature, some of which overlap with issues of social justice:

Animals Australia and the Challenges of Vegan Stereotyping

Three Hots and a Cot and a Lot of Talk: Discussing Federal Rights-Based Avenues for Prisoners Access to Vegan Meals

A model for prison change: fighting discrimination

The Constitutional and Legal Rights of Ethical Vegans on Campus

BBC Article Saying Veganism Affects Intelligence Uses Outdated Data

Discrimination against Vegans

‘Ethical veganism’ is a protected class akin to religion in the U.K. after a landmark ruling

Dreaming of a vegan Christmas

What's your beef with vegetarians? Predicting anti-vegetarian prejudice from pro-beef attitudes across cultures

Eating with our eyes (closed): Effects of visually associating animals with meat on antivegan/vegetarian attitudes and meat consumption willingness

Employers, got vegan? How ethical veganism qualifies for legal protection under Title VII