Report · Culture

Taste is the biggest hurdle to going vegan

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Nearly half of Americans (47%) say that if they switched to a fully plant-based diet, the hardest part would be missing the taste of animal products such as meat, cheese, milk, and eggs, according to a May 2026 Verasight survey of 1,000 U.S. adults.

No other obstacle comes close: 13% think it would be hard to get the right nutrition, 12% that it would be too expensive, 9% that eating with friends and family would be hard, 8% that it would be too much work, and 7% that it would go against their identity or culture. Just 4% say they already eat a fully plant-based diet.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

Taste is the biggest hurdle to going vegan.

If you were to transition to a fully plant-based (vegan) diet, what would be the hardest thing about making this change?

  • I think I would miss the taste of animal products (e.g. meat, cheese, milk, eggs, etc.) 47.3%
  • I think it would be hard to get the right nutrition 12.6%
  • I think it would be too expensive 12.1%
  • I think it would be hard to eat with my friends and family 9.0%
  • I think I would be too much work 8.5%
  • I think it would go against my identity and/or culture 6.8%
  • N/A - I already eat a fully plant-based diet 3.8%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.3%

identity

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2026-05-11 → 2026-05-11
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.3%
Module
identity

Source

Citation

Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.3%.

https://reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. When a wave report is published, its field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
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