Higher for Animals: The Proof Behind Veg*n Pledges

19 minute learn

Animal Charity Evaluators’ Higher for Animals: Proof-Primarily based Insights for Efficient Animal Advocacy useful resource is an ongoing mission through which we distill key analysis on completely different animal advocacy interventions to assist us consider their affect in several contexts. We’ve got made this analysis publicly accessible to assist knowledgeable resolution making about learn how to assist probably the most animals. It’s possible you’ll learn extra concerning the methodology in our current announcement.

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To assist make this info extra accessible to a variety of audiences, we’re spotlighting one intervention every month by way of a collection of social media and weblog posts. This month—for the second version—we’re specializing in the proof round veg*n pledges.

Intervention Highlight #1: Veg*n Pledges

What is that this intervention?

• This class refers to working vegan or vegetarian (veg*n) pledges to advertise particular person dietary change. Veg*n pledges are commitments from people to get rid of or cut back their animal product consumption for a selected time frame. Organizations usually marketing campaign to realize signups to their pledge program, after which keep up a correspondence with individuals over the course of their dedication, with various ranges of assist and data supplied. A distinguished instance is Veganuary. Veg*n pledges possible produce other outcomes too, resembling elevated public consciousness of veg*nism and selling plant-based meals by way of company partnerships.

Abstract: What’s our total evaluation of this intervention? How assured are we on this evaluation?

• Though Veganuary follow-up surveys report very excessive success charges, there are a number of findings that make us unsure concerning the effectiveness of veg*n pledges:
  • Research that randomly assign individuals to pledge situations are uncommon, and people who exist typically discover that pledges are efficient principally within the brief time period (i.e., throughout the pledge). Nevertheless, there are appreciable uncertainties when generalizing these experimental findings to real-world campaigns.
  • Veganuary’s personal conclusions depend on retrospective self-reports of Veganuary individuals who responded to the follow-up survey, which can skew towards probably the most engaged among the many total pool of individuals.¹ Measuring dietary selections by way of self report can also be typically unreliable as a consequence of components resembling reminiscence recall errors and social desirability bias, the place people consciously or unconsciously misreport their animal product consumption, particularly when primed to think about the moral penalties of their meals selections.²
  • It appears possible that many individuals who self choose into collaborating in veg*n pledges already cut back their meat consumption or intend to take action. Due to this fact, it’s potential that they might have additional diminished their consumption anyway, with out the intervention. Nevertheless, it’s also potential that pledges kickstart or in any other case facilitate this course of.
  • Effectively-known challenges resembling Veganuary can leverage their reputation to construct company partnerships and encourage retailers to extend their plant-based choices. This will result in elevated plant-based gross sales pushed by modifications to the meals setting (e.g., distinguished product placement) and lively promotion of plant-based choices (e.g., by way of value reductions), however has not been robustly proven to lower animal product gross sales.
• Primarily based on the accessible proof, we tentatively assume that veg*n pledges seem like a much less promising intervention amongst these we assessed, a minimum of for creating new, sustained weight loss plan change within the basic inhabitants. This can be a broad, preliminary evaluation and we count on the effectiveness of any intervention to range considerably relying on the context and the strategy taken:
  • We imagine this intervention is probably going stronger when:
    • The ask is stricter: Two research recommend vegetarian or vegan pledges outperform flexitarian or discount pledges.
    • Members have greater beginning motivation and are already decreasing animal merchandise earlier than the pledge.
    • There may be social assist in the course of the pledge, e.g., encouraging individuals to contain family and friends.
    • The individuals have entry to available veg*n alternate options and ongoing assist all through the pledge interval.
  • Conversely, the intervention is probably going weaker when:
    • The ask is looser (for instance, a generic discount or flexitarian pledge).
    • Members have low preliminary motivation, restricted entry to acceptable alternate options, or obtain little assist in the course of the pledge.
    • Members shift from cows or pigs to fishes or chickens based mostly on price or perceived local weather advantages (leading to extra animals farmed, an unlucky phenomenon typically termed small animal substitute).³
• For company and institutional partnerships, we suggest campaigners advocate for interventions with demonstrated success in displacing animal merchandise, resembling plant-based defaults or a excessive proportion of plant-based to animal-based choices. Strategic product placement, whereas efficient at rising plant-based gross sales, doesn’t appear to scale back animal product purchases.⁴
• Our confidence on this evaluation is low-to-moderate as a result of low variety of methodologically rigorous research and the restrictions to generalizability of present research, and the evaluation comes with a number of caveats. Pledges will be carried out at a low price, have a powerful logic mannequin, and present some promise in research utilizing self-report and buying information. Due to this fact, we predict additional analysis is warranted, and will definitely change our thoughts.
  • Analysis ought to look into the potential of pledge campaigns in different nations (as most present information comes from the U.Ok.) and into situations that would make pledges simpler in the long term (e.g., forms of asks, elevated assist, and completely different populations).
  • Veg*n pledges require important dedication and behavioral modifications from people, so it isn’t shocking that these with greater beginning motivation fare higher at them. Pledges could due to this fact be a tactic significantly nicely suited to assist people who’re already motivated to alter. Experimental research of motivated people can be beneficial to isolate the distinctive affect of the pledge.
  • There may additionally be results of pledge campaigns on different outcomes, resembling sustaining contact lists of potential supporters, elevating the general public profile of veg*nism, or constructing assist for institutional campaigns. Pledges may additionally be an element rushing up dietary change for already-motivated people or stopping veg*n recidivism. Analysis particularly into these results could possibly be beneficial.
  • We encourage researchers to report outcomes by kind of animal product diminished or changed with a purpose to estimate the extent of struggling averted and rule out unintended small-animal substitute results.

In depth

What does the analysis say about how efficient this intervention is?

Participant surveys and pre-post research

Retrospective surveys of people who participated in veg*n pledges appear to recommend very excessive success charges when it comes to a long-lasting dietary change; nevertheless, methodological and design limitations make it troublesome to attract causal conclusions.

• The yearly Veganuary six-month follow-up survey reviews dramatic outcomes. In 2023, 28% of the 6,967 survey individuals reported to have transitioned to veganism previously six months on account of their participation, and an additional 63% mentioned they eliminated a minimum of 25% of animal merchandise from their weight loss plan, an total success price of 91%.⁵ Outcomes from earlier years are constant. Such surveys endure apparent limitations, resembling non-response bias (response charges are low, and individuals who modified their habits could have disproportionately responded to the survey invite), limitations of retrospective self report (individuals could misremember their baseline or post-intervention animal product consumption), and social desirability bias (individuals could misrepresent their animal product consumption to fulfill perceived researcher expectations).
• Moreover, people who select to take part in a marketing campaign like Veganuary appear to already present extra optimistic attitudes and behaviors towards animals than the typical. One examine discovered that almost all of pledgers in U.Ok. pledge campaigns have been already decreasing their animal product consumption at baseline.⁶ Whereas this doubtlessly limits the counterfactual affect of such pledges, they might nonetheless forestall such folks from reverting again to consuming extra animal merchandise. Retaining vegans and vegetarians is difficult,⁷ and the behavioral dedication and sensible and social assist related to veg*n pledges could possibly be important components in shifting people towards the later, extra steady phases of habits change.⁸ As Björn Ólafsson argues,⁹ pledges could possibly be the occasion that kickstarts or accelerates the transition course of for somebody already motivated to make the change. Direct proof for the above concepts is at the moment missing.
• A pre-post examine of 40 Veganuary individuals confirmed that individuals reported considerably greater ranges of meat disgust after the marketing campaign. Most individuals lapsed into consuming meat in the course of the problem, however disgust will increase have been greater the extra the individuals had managed to scale back their meat consumption.¹⁰ This implies that, even when meat just isn’t totally prevented throughout a veg*n pledge interval, the expertise of decreasing meat consumption may domesticate destructive emotional associations with meat, though we don’t understand how lengthy these results final.

Actual-world buying information

Research utilizing real-world buying information present blended, however promising, outcomes.

• In 2019, a large-scale panel survey estimated that 1.31 million British adults (4.7% of the inhabitants and considerably greater than official Veganuary signups) gave up animal merchandise in January 2019, with 832 thousand new adopters. Buying information of panellists participating in Veganuary for the primary time confirmed a considerable discount in January 2019, estimated to equate to a discount of greater than 1 million kg of animal merchandise when extrapolated to all 832 thousand first-timers.¹¹ The researchers additionally discovered a sustained (although smaller) discount over the next six months, estimated to equate to over 4 million kg of animal merchandise when extrapolated to all 832 thousand first-time individuals.¹² This real-world buying information suggests {that a} extremely prolific pledge marketing campaign, resembling Veganuary, could result in a considerable discount in animal product consumption that would final for a minimum of six months, and even apply to folks not formally signed as much as the marketing campaign. Nevertheless, the unique report was not publicly accessible, so we have been unable to confirm the estimates. It is usually unclear how a lot of this impact will be counterfactually attributed to the Veganuary marketing campaign.
• Notably, the identical researchers additionally report that this impact didn’t translate into an total downward development in meat, fish, or poultry gross sales within the U.Ok. within the 12 weeks main as much as the tip of January 2019. In truth, there was even a rise in fish purchases throughout January.¹³ (Nevertheless, it’s potential that Veganuary mitigated bigger will increase in animal product consumption that yr.) Our World in Knowledge additionally reviews that the proportion of meat eaters, flexitarians, vegetarians, and vegans within the U.Ok. has stayed largely fixed between 2019 and 2025.¹⁴
• Some gross sales information means that there could also be a development of reducing curiosity in meat-free and dairy-free merchandise within the U.Ok. throughout Veganuary, with over one million fewer households shopping for meat-free merchandise in January 2023 in comparison with the earlier yr, and 280 thousand fewer households shopping for dairy-free merchandise.¹⁵
• In Germany, reductions in meat purchases in January as in comparison with December have elevated from simply over 50% in 2022 to 60% in 2024. A lot of that may be attributed to will increase in meat purchases in December, however in comparison with the 2023 common, meat purchases have been nonetheless 12.5% decrease in January 2024.¹⁶

Experimental research

The few experimental research of veg*n pledges typically present a major discount in meat consumption in the course of the pledge interval in comparison with baseline ranges, however the change is normally both not sustained¹⁷ or considerably diminished¹⁸ after the intervention interval. The research that do present a sustained (albeit diminished) change are likely to endure from a number of methodological limitations, resembling lack of a management group¹⁹ or empty management situation,²⁰ and a really brief follow-up interval.²¹

• In maybe probably the most rigorous experimental check of the effectiveness of veg*n pledges thus far,²² individuals in Australia, Germany, and the U.Ok. have been randomly assigned to pledge to go meat-free for 28 days, or to the no-pledge situation. Throughout the pledge interval, individuals submitted every day surveys and meal images by way of their smartphones to reliably monitor consumption. Meat consumption frequency was additionally measured earlier than the pledge, instantly after, and one month after the pledge interval. Day by day meat consumption was diminished in pledgers relative to nonpledgers in the course of the pledge interval in all three nations, however there have been no important modifications in comparison with baseline on the one-month comply with up.
• Nevertheless, these basic inhabitants samples could not signify typical voluntary Veganuary individuals, who possible have greater intrinsic motivation. Since this motivation is perhaps essential for sustained change, it’s troublesome to generalize the experimental findings to real-world campaigns.

Meta-analyses and systematic evaluations

• We aren’t conscious of any meta-analyses or systematic evaluations on veg*n pledges.
• Meta-analytic analysis from analysis on environment-friendly behaviors means that habits change commitments have average results on habits in the course of the intervention interval in addition to after (though with various follow-up time factors), however solely a really small benefit over different forms of behavioral change interventions, resembling persuasive communication.²³ It’s unlikely that these outcomes will be generalized on to animal product consumption, given folks’s distinctive attachment to meat consumption.²⁴

Different results of pledge campaigns

Veg*n pledges will also be used for functions that transcend particular person dietary change, resembling selling institutional campaigns. The proof base for these ways is once more restricted to Veganuary particularly, and is mostly sparse, however means that Veganuary campaigns could possibly be a helpful advocacy software for institutional plant-based outreach. Such promotions appear to be related primarily with a rise in gross sales of plant-based merchandise (relatively than diminished gross sales of animal merchandise), and there’s a lack of proof for sustained results. It is usually unclear to what extent the Veganuary model itself contributes to those outcomes, versus the affect of the modified meals setting (e.g., distinguished product placement or lively promotions). Nevertheless, the recognition of Veganuary possible contributes to efficiently constructing these company partnerships within the first place.

• Veganuary companions with companies every year to extend the provision of plant-based merchandise. In 2024, this collaboration led to lots of of recent vegan menu gadgets and merchandise throughout the U.S., U.Ok., Germany, Mexico, Argentina, and lots of different nations. Within the U.S. alone, over 400 companies have been efficiently engaged and launched 300 new menu gadgets and promotions.²⁵ Proof means that rising the proportion of plant-based relative to animal-based meals or merchandise could positively have an effect on plant-based gross sales. Nevertheless, the proportion of plant-based to animal-based meals or merchandise possible must be very excessive, and there may be much less readability on the extent to which animal merchandise are literally changed.²⁶
• One examine of U.Ok. supermarkets confirmed that utilizing the Veganuary model to advertise plant-based merchandise elevated plant-based gross sales, however didn’t have an effect on meat gross sales.²⁷ The intervention concerned rising the provision, visibility, accessibility, and affordability of plant-based merchandise, interventions which have been proven to, with various success, have the potential to extend plant-based gross sales.²⁸ The added worth of the Veganuary branding and the marketing campaign to coincide with Veganuary is unknown.
• Equally, a examine evaluating a Veganuary promotion occasion in U.Ok. supermarkets discovered that, in the course of the Veganuary promotion, gross sales elevated for the particular plant-based meals that have been on promotion (which concerned distinguished positioning and value reductions), however the total gross sales of plant-based meals didn’t. The authors didn’t report on modifications in meat gross sales. Results weren’t sustained after the intervention interval.²⁹
• Researchers additionally examined the affect of Veganuary promotion campaigns that elevated the provision and salience (e.g., promotion, labelling) of plant-based merchandise in U.Ok. office cafeterias. The outcomes confirmed a major enhance within the proportion of vegan and vegetarian meals offered throughout and after the campaigns (with results noticeable as much as a yr later), which suggests a corresponding lower within the proportion of animal product purchases.³⁰
• It’s definitely believable that the Veganuary model performs a task within the above results, e.g., by way of motivating corporations and establishments to participate within the first place, given how vastly well-liked the marketing campaign is. Signal ups have been rising yr on yr since 2015 (from 12,800 to 1.8 million in 2024),³¹ and greater than ¾ of Brits report being conscious of the marketing campaign.³² Certainly, an skilled we consulted confirmed that corporations are eager to achieve the Veganuary viewers as potential shoppers in search of plant-based alternate options.
• Veganuary has possible additionally had a cultural affect by popularizing the idea of veganism, however we’re not conscious of any direct supportive proof.

Price effectiveness

Veg*n pledge campaigns typically depend on low-cost outreach strategies resembling social media and e mail advertising and marketing and due to this fact appear to have the potential to be a value efficient intervention. But, there are important variations between present cost-effectiveness analyses, indicating excessive uncertainty.

• A 2020 evaluation estimates that Problem 22, a 22-day vegan pledge, results in a discount by 3-40 parts of meat per $ spent over 7 months.³³ Nevertheless, the evaluation is predicated on an observational survey of individuals in Problem 22,³⁴ which shares a number of the identical limitations because the Veganuary follow-up survey, and we predict the cost-effectiveness evaluation doesn’t sufficiently take note of the counterfactual affect, i.e., how a lot individuals would have diminished their meat consumption with out collaborating in Problem 22.
• A 2025 evaluation within the Efficient Altruism Discussion board estimates that the associated fee effectiveness of Veganuary in 2024 was 1.2% of that of cage-free company campaigns when it comes to struggling averted relative to price, based mostly on the 25 million individuals who, in accordance with Veganuary estimates, have taken half in Veganuary in 2024 (not restricted to official sign-ups)³⁵ in addition to Veganuary’s company engagement actions in that yr. Observe that Wendy Matthews, the worldwide head of partnerships and growth at Veganuary, thinks this underestimates the affect of Veganuary, which she thinks goes past individuals who report having participated within the marketing campaign.³⁶
• One other cost-effectiveness evaluation of Veganuary yielded estimates starting from 0.009 to 1.23 occasions the identical estimate for cage-free campaigns.³⁷
• Observe that, given capability, we’ve got not personally reviewed any of the assumptions or mannequin inputs for these analyses. We plan to take action for future iterations of this evaluate.

Energy of proof

• Most of the cited research share basic limitations, resembling self-report of animal product consumption which can introduce biases or inaccuracies in reporting, restricted pattern range (predominantly feminine, left-leaning, university-educated, and from the U.Ok., U.S., and Europe), a scarcity of pre-registration or open information, and analysis designs that don’t permit for causal inference.
• A lot of the analysis focuses particularly on Veganuary, and it’s unclear to what extent results of Veganuary apply to different pledge campaigns given Veganuary’s outsized reputation, which can create a novel assist system and social context that would amplify its optimistic outcomes.
• Some outcomes suggesting the strongest results come from non-peer reviewed sources and have been typically commissioned by Veganuary themselves, and we wish to see extra unbiased analysis following a pre-registered analysis and evaluation plan.
• Most research mentioned don’t differentiate meat discount or substitute by kind of meat. Some forms of meat (resembling fish and poultry) are related to rather more animal struggling relative to quantity than others (resembling beef or pork).³⁸ If individuals selectively cut back consumption of beef or pork whereas sustaining and even rising their consumption of fish or rooster, then research reporting total meat discount with out this important differentiation may considerably misrepresent the precise affect on animal welfare.

Beneath what situations is that this intervention kind of efficient?

• Results of the ask: The strongest assist exists for the impact of the particular ask: Two research recommend that a stricter ask (vegetarian or vegan) appears to be simpler than a flexitarian or discount ask.³⁹
• Participant results:
  • Members with a stronger beginning motivation⁴⁰ and those that already cut back their animal product consumption previous to the pledge⁴¹ have a tendency to indicate better reductions.
  • The proof is extra speculative in terms of the explanation why folks adhere to vs. abandon a dedication. Some research not directly recommend that pledges could also be extra profitable when alternate options to non-vegan meals are extra available,⁴² and when there may be extra assist supplied in the course of the pledge interval.⁴³
• Social assist: Pledges could also be simpler once they contain social assist. Particularly, a examine into the Veggie Problem discovered that each these collaborating individually and people inspired to contain their family and friends diminished their animal product consumption by 16-17% relative to a management group, however solely the social encouragement group confirmed a long-lasting discount three months after the pledge interval.⁴⁴
• Small animal substitute: There could also be a danger of small animal substitute, whereby individuals substitute the consumption of lower-suffering animals (resembling cows or pigs) with higher-suffering animals (resembling fishes or chickens), which can be perceived as much less dangerous and higher for the local weather, and can also be typically cheaper.⁴⁵

Our priorities for bettering this proof evaluate

• For future variations of this proof evaluate, we wish to discover in additional element how veg*n pledges may function ways to generate momentum for different campaigns or to achieve extra supporters or donors, e.g., by speaking to advocates and subject specialists.
• We’d additionally prefer to discover different outcomes of veg*n pledges that would profit animals in the long term, resembling bettering public perceptions of veg*nism or elevating consciousness of plant-based alternate options.
• We plan on reviewing the research that report discount individually for several types of animal merchandise to gauge whether or not pledges are total extra prone to cut back some forms of animal merchandise than others, with a selected concentrate on the quantity of struggling concerned of their manufacturing.
• We wish to critically assess the cost-effectiveness analyses and their assumptions in additional depth.
• We plan to solicit inside affect information from organizations utilizing veg*n pledges.

We wish to thank Björn Ólafsson and Prashanth Vishwanath for his or her useful suggestions as peer reviewers.

1. Nevertheless, individuals who felt significantly negatively concerning the problem may additionally be disproportionately prone to reply. 

2. See, e.g., Rothgerber, 2019 

3. Nicholles (2024) 

4. See our proof evaluate on Company and Institutional Veg*n Outreach 

5. Veganuary (2023) 

6. Grassian (2020) 

7. Faunalytics (2016) 

8. See additionally Bryant et al. (2022) 

9. Ólafsson (2025) 

10. Becker et al. (2022) 

11. Observe that the measurement excluded processed meals and out-of-home consumption. 

12. Kantar, as reported by Veganuary (2020) 

13. Kantar (2019) 

14. YouGov, as reported by Our World in Knowledge (2025) 

15. AHDB (2023) 

16. Destasis (2025) 

17. Piazza et al. (2022) 

18. Dakin et al. (2021) 

19. Lindemann-Matthies et al. (2023) 

20. Dakin et al. (2021) 

21. Dakin et al. (2021); Lindemann-Matthies et al. (2023) 

22. Piazza et al. (2022) 

23. Lokhorst et al. (2011) 

24. Graça et al. (2015) 

25. Veganuary (2024) 

26. See our proof evaluate on Company and Institutional Veg*n Outreach 

27. Trewern et al. (2022)  

28. See our proof evaluate on Company and Institutional Veg*n Outreach 

29. Luick et al. (2023) 

30. McPhedran et al. (2023) 

31. Bryant (2024) 

32. Bryant et al. (2023) 

33. Brandes et al. (2020)  

34. Faunalytics (2019) 

35. Veganuary (2024) 

36. Grilo (2025) 

37. Cox (n.d.) 

38. Ritchie (2024) 

39. Dakin et al. (2021); Grassian (2020) 

40. Piazza et al. (2022) 

41. Grassian (2020) 

42. Piazza et al. (2022); Veganuary (2023) 

43. Lindemann-Matthies et al. (2023); Grassian (2020) 

44. Severijns et al. (2024) 

45. Nicholles (2024) 

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About Alina Salmen

Alina joined ACE in September 2022. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology, with a concentrate on gender position beliefs and attitudes towards veganism. She is enthusiastic about utilizing her analysis abilities to assist ACE’s mission and cut back animal struggling as a lot as potential.

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