Omnivores often have a mixed perception of vegans, viewing them as both caring and morally involved (a positive view) as well as arrogant and overcommitted (a negative view). One explanation for this ambivalence is that viewing vegans in a negative light allows omnivores to justify their own diets, even if they claim to support animal welfare.

To avoid conflict and social stigma, the authors of this paper claim that some vegans hide their true motivations, claiming to be vegan for health reasons rather than ethical ones. However, it’s not always clear whether “downplaying” the ethical side of veganism or being more vocal about it is the best way to encourage meat reduction. 

This article examined how omnivores perceive vegans based on their motivation for going vegan and how active they are in the movement. Specifically, the authors wanted to know how moral, committed, arrogant, overcommitted, and socially attractive a vegan is perceived to be depending on how they’re described to omnivores. They also looked at omnivores’ willingness to change their diets based on what “type” of vegan they are exposed to. 

The study was conducted in two parts. In part one, 390 participants were recruited for an online survey and asked to read a short description of “Jane,” who follows a vegan diet. One group of participants was told that Jane advocates for veganism for health reasons, such as reducing heart disease. The second group was told that Jane advocates for animal rights and welfare. Participants then weighed in on their perceptions of Jane. 

The results showed that vegans with an ethical motivation were perceived as more moral. Higher morality ratings were associated with higher ratings on social attractiveness, which in turn predicted a higher willingness to change one’s diet. However, there was no significant difference in perceived arrogance, commitment, or social attractiveness between health and ethical vegans. The authors noted that both types of vegans were described as advocates who avoided animal products, which may have elicited similar reactions from participants. 

The second study tested whether perceptions would change if a vegan was presented as an advocate (vs. someone who simply follows a vegan diet). 1,177 online participants were divided into four groups. They were again asked to read Jane’s description, this time with two new conditions. In addition to the two different motivations (health vs. animal ethics), Jane was presented as either an advocate (i.e., she “publicly supports” veganism and “actively advocates” for either health or animal rights) or someone who simply eats vegan food. 

The results showed that omnivores perceived vegan advocates as less socially attractive and more arrogantly overcommitted than non-advocates. In addition, and contrary to the results of the first study, those motivated by animal ethics were perceived as less socially attractive and more arrogantly overcommitted than those motivated by health. None of Jane’s descriptions significantly motivated participants to change their diets or reduce their meat consumption. However, vegans motivated by animal ethics were judged to be more persuasive than those motivated by health, and those described as advocates were judged to be less persuasive than non-advocates. 

According to the authors, Jane tended to be rated as arrogantly overcommitted when presented as an advocate and non-advocate, and when presented as a vegan for ethical reasons. In turn, high arrogant overcommitment scores were associated with lower perceptions of social attractiveness. As in study one, higher ratings on social attractiveness were associated with a higher willingness to change one’s diet. 

According to these two studies, if you’re a vegan and your goal is to be as socially attractive as possible to omnivores, it’s better to say you’re vegan for health reasons and not to say that you’re an advocate. However, many vegans are more concerned about changing omnivores’ dietary habits than coming across as socially attractive. To encourage dietary change, the authors suggest that it might be most effective to tell omnivores that you’re vegan for ethical reasons (without focusing on advocacy). 

It’s important to remember that this study looked at short-term effects. In the long term, it could be better to present veganism as an ethical, active cause in order to normalize it. However, research would be needed to confirm this.