This post was inspired in part by Why Aren’t More People Vegan? by Jordi Casamitjana, published by Vegan FTA. While the framing, language, and conclusions here reflect the unique perspective of VR1 and its messaging strategy, his article helped spark the initial line of inquiry. We’re grateful for Jordi’s inspiration and contribution to this ongoing conversation.
It’s been more than 80 years since the founding of the Vegan Society in 1944. Since then, veganism has expanded its footprint across the globe — through research, innovation, education, and compassion. And yet, despite all this progress, vegans still represent only a small fraction of the global population.
Why is that? Why aren’t there more vegans by now? And more importantly: what can we do to change that?
Because what we need now isn’t just more information — it’s more transformation.
Let’s explore three central questions:
- How many vegans are there today?
- Why hasn’t the movement grown faster?
- What will it take to transform the movement?
1. How Many Vegans Are There — and What Does That Really Tell Us?
By some accounts, somewhere between 88 and 100 million people worldwide now identify as vegan. That’s roughly 1 to 1.3% of the global population. These numbers may sound encouraging — and in some ways, they are. But they don’t tell the whole story.
First, definitions vary. Some people identify as vegan based on diet alone, while others include ethics, lifestyle, or advocacy in that identity. Second, not everyone who adopts a vegan lifestyle maintains it long-term — often due to social pressure, lack of support, or confusion about the “why” behind the change.
And finally — and perhaps most critically — being vegan doesn’t automatically translate to outreach. A vegan lifestyle reduces personal harm to animals, but it’s organized, vocal, values-driven advocacy that moves societies. That’s the difference between a personal choice and a cultural shift.
2. Why Hasn’t Veganism Grown Faster?
Despite growing visibility, wider access to plant-based foods, and increasing concern about animal suffering, the world hasn’t seen the exponential vegan shift many expected. Why?
Part of the answer lies in deep-seated psychological and cultural barriers. The Vegan FTA article goes into considerable depth, but for purposes here can be summarized in this way:
Cognitively, many people experience moral dissonance. They may love animals — but still consume them daily, often without conscious awareness. This creates tension in the individual that is often resolved through rationalization, dissociation, and inherited habits. Add in identity threat, tribal belonging, and defensiveness, and it becomes clear why most people don’t “just go vegan.”
Culturally, animal consumption is deeply normalized. It’s part of family traditions, comfort rituals, and institutional defaults. The industries profiting from exploitation have mastered emotional marketing, lobbying, and influence campaigns. Most people aren’t just choosing meat — they’re immersed in systems designed to keep them doing so.
In contrast to these barriers, within the vegan movement, our messaging hasn’t always been effective. Some approaches rely too heavily on logic without directed emotion (not all emotion inspires change). Well-meaning advocates provoke guilt, shame, or shock that push people away. And many blur the line between dietary plant-based trends and the ethical foundations of veganism. The result? Confusion, resistance, and missed opportunities for connection.
3. The 3.5% Threshold of Transformation
While ~1–1.3% of the global population identifies as vegan, only a fraction are actively advocating — and fewer still are doing so effectively. It’s not passive numbers that drive change — it’s sustained, strategic action.
That’s the insight behind the 3.5% rule, based on the work of political scientist Dr. Erica Chenoweth. After analyzing more than a century of nonviolent movements, she found that every campaign which succeeded in driving maximalist change had one thing in common: at least 3.5% of the population was actively engaged in sustained, nonviolent action.
That’s our north star — not a world where everyone is vegan tomorrow, but a world where 3.5% of people are advocating consistently, skillfully, and strategically. That’s how we reach the threshold.
Transforming the Movement: Building the Momentum Loop
If just over 1% of the population is vegan, and only a fraction of those are actively speaking out, we’ve got a gap to close. And the way we close it is through messaging — not just more of it, but better.
This is where our work at VR1 (Vegan Rise One) and VR1 AI (Vegan Rise One AI) comes in.
Media psychology is the study of how media (mediated communication) and technology influence people’s thoughts, emotions, and behavior. It examines how people perceive, interpret, and respond to media content – and how that content can be used to shape attitudes, behaviors, and cultural norms.
When messaging applies principles of media psychology, it doesn’t just inform — it moves. It invites reflection, identity shifts, and new action. And when people act, they inspire others to act.
That’s how you create momentum. VR1 and VR1 AI are designed to encourage and support more vegans to become effective advocates:
- More vegans become advocates.
- More advocates become more effective.
- Their effectiveness reaches more people.
- New vegans are inspired — and more become advocates themselves.
A momentum loop begins — and grows stronger with every resonant message. That is the road to 3.5%.
The Problem
The vegan movement today is growing — but not fast enough. Not deep enough. And not always strategically enough.
The movement is still dominated by fact-heavy messaging that misses emotional impact, or aggressive tactics that trigger defensiveness. As a result, we’re not equipping enough advocates — and we’re not reaching enough pre-vegans with messages that stick.
The VR1 Solution
VR1 exists to close this gap — by empowering more vegans to become advocates, and more advocates to become effective.
It does this by providing:
- Storytelling strategies grounded in narrative psychology
- Messaging techniques that reduce resistance and build rapport
- A media-savvy training framework to help advocates craft content that resonates
And with VRAI, we take it even further — giving advocates a thought partner, coach, and communication consultant they can carry in their pocket. Because it’s not just about increasing output — it’s about maximizing impact.
Together, VR1 and VR1 AI are designed to help the movement reach the 3.5% Threshold of Transformation — and to build the momentum we need to rise.
Continue the VR1 blog series: The next post explores how psychology and storytelling — not just facts — shape belief and inspire action. We recommend reading the full series in order for maximum impact.
Next up: Beyond Awareness: How Psychology and Storytelling Can Power the Rise of Vegan Advocacy