Ambition, Not Kindness, Divides Vegetarians from Meat-Eaters, Study Finds

A caller cross-cultural survey recovered that vegetarians worth ambition and idiosyncratic accomplishment much than kindness oregon tradition. Credit: Ivar Leidus / CC BY-SA 4.0

A caller planetary survey challenges the wide held content that vegetarianism is chiefly rooted successful compassion. Instead, the findings suggest that vegetarians whitethorn beryllium much driven by ambition, self-expression, and independency than their meat-eating peers.

Psychologist John B. Nezlek, from SWPS University successful Poland and the College of William & Mary successful the United States, led the research. The survey looked astatine however basal quality values disagree betwixt vegetarians and non-vegetarians and was published successful PLOS ONE. It utilized Schwartz’s well-known exemplary of quality values arsenic a framework.

Survey spans the U.S. and Poland

Researchers analyzed information from 3 survey samples: 1 successful the United States and 2 successful Poland. In total, 3,792 adults participated successful the study, including 883 vegetarians. Participants self-identified their dietary habits and sex earlier completing a questionnaire designed to measurement halfway idiosyncratic values.

The survey focused connected 10 worth categories: universalism, benevolence, conformity, tradition, security, self-direction, stimulation, hedonism, achievement, and power.

Vegetarians included those who identified arsenic vegan, plant-based, lacto-vegetarian, oregon lacto-ovo-vegetarian. In 1 Polish group, occasional meat- and fish-eaters were excluded to sharpen comparisons.

Vegetarians fertile ambition implicit contented and kindness

A accordant signifier emerged crossed each 3 samples. Vegetarians rated values specified arsenic benevolence, conformity, and security, associated with kindness, tradition, and societal stability, arsenic little important than non-vegetarians did.

At the aforesaid time, vegetarians placed greater accent connected stimulation, achievement, and power. These values subordinate to idiosyncratic growth, ambition, and influence, indicating that individuality and idiosyncratic bureau whitethorn play a cardinal relation successful the determination to follow a plant-based diet.

Results alteration by country

Some differences appeared betwixt countries. In the U.S., vegetarians scored higher than non-vegetarians connected biology values and universalism, which includes interest for quality and wide societal justice. These trends were not observed successful the Polish samples.

Spiced roasted cauliflower with soya chunks, chimichurri sauce, herb and avocado crockery and basmati rice.

~36g of works macromolecule 🌿💪🏼#PlantBased #Vegan #Veganuary2024 #Veganuary #GoVegan #Healthy pic.twitter.com/z4sQdPvVzX

— Veganella 🥦 (@Veganella_) January 6, 2024

Self-direction, which reflects independency and creativity, besides showed mixed results. U.S. non-vegetarians valued it more, portion Polish vegetarians gave it greater importance—one of the fewer cases wherever a statistically important spread emerged.

The study utilized online survey panels and included lone participants who selected a binary gender. Gender did not play a large relation successful the findings, and interactions betwixt fare and sex were rare.

Vegetarianism seen arsenic idiosyncratic statement

Nezlek concluded that vegetarianism whitethorn bespeak a interruption from mainstream values much than a motivation stance. While vegetarians did not disregard kindness, they gave higher precedence to values linked to ambition and self-definition.

The findings suggest that for many, choosing a vegetarian fare whitethorn beryllium little astir morals and much astir self-expression.