The organisation Faunalytics has published a new study on how veganism can spread through a social network. The literature review includes studies on smoking cessation, making comparisons with the cessation of the consumption of animal products. The results indicate that romantic partners are the most influential; people are between 1.3 and 11.8 times more likely to quit smoking if their partner also quits. Other social connections such as friends, coworkers, and siblings also have an influence.
Another key finding of the study is that a non-smoking partner can also serve as a good role model — people are anywhere between 1.6 and 4.4 times more likely to quit smoking if their partner is a non-smoker, while those married to current smokers are the least likely to quit. In the study we read, “Applied to veg*nism, this may suggest that individuals in a romantic relationship may be more likely to go veg*n together versus individually. Nonetheless, limited research on this topic has revealed that individuals in a heterosexual relationship perceive that shifting to a plant-based diet together would upset both partners and thus be challenging, although the authors also found that perceived challenges were less apparent in couples with more flexible leadership styles and left-wing political ideologies.”
Also, a network analysis of over 50,000 social ties, including couples, friends, and coworkers, found that the social spread of smoking drops after three degrees of separation.
The study is titled, “What Vegan Advocates Can Learn From The Social Spread Of Quitting Smoking”, and it is authored by Dr Andrea Polanco and collaborators. The lead author said to Faunalytics, “I was impressed by how important social networks are for spreading these ideas. To me, this suggests that advocates should expand their programs to include social groups, not just individuals.”
Join millions choosing vegan in 2025 with Veganuary! https://bit.ly/Veganuary25
