Vegan Stigma

Research shows that veganism is associated with many benefits, including those related to physical health and the environment. However, veganism also comes with disadvantages, such as stigma. Stigma refers to the process by which individuals are negatively labeled based on certain characteristics, identities, or statuses that they possess, and as a result, are negatively treated and evaluated by others. For vegans, stigma results from being identified as a member of the vegan social category and can be traced to culturally shared assumptions about what vegans do, who they are, how they think, and with whom they associate. In this chapter, I detail these sources of vegan stigma and highlight the consequences (and mechanisms producing such consequences) that may influence vegans’ (and non-vegans’) daily lives. I also discuss the methodological and empirical gaps in this area of study, outlining several promising areas for future research on the topic.