Animal Ethics Profiling of Vegetarians, Vegans and Meat-Eaters

The aims of this study were to identify the animal ethical profile of vegetarians, vegans, and meat-eaters. Using questionnaire data collected in 2013 (n = 356), we measured propensity to subscribe to five different po- sitions within animal ethics based on a novel measure of animal ethical stance (adopted from the “Animal Ethics Dilemma” learning tool). We found clear relationships between diet choice and ethical profile. The responses of meat-eaters indicated that they were relying on a mixture of ethical positions (relational, respect for nature, contractarian, and animal rights), but predominantly the utilitarian position. Propensity to hold animal rights and re- lational views increased with the number of meat products not consumed by meat-eaters. Vegans and vegetarians revealed more consistent animal ethics viewpoints, especially the vegan group which had a very high propen- sity to hold an animal rights position. Vegetarians were also inclined to hold the animal rights position, but additionally had a tendency to draw on utilitarian reasoning. Subscription to animal rights views was a defining char- acteristic of vegans regardless of the number of years they had followed the diet, while this was not the case for vegetarians. Contrary to expectations, the number of years a vegetarian diet had been followed was not positively associated with animal rights views. This study should be followed up in a larger and more representative population, but it is the first to attempt to quantitatively profile vegetarians, vegans, and meat-eaters across a range of animal ethics frameworks. We argue that the novel approach used in this study to assess animal ethics stances could be applied to a wide range of animal-related activities.