Taste is the biggest hurdle to going vegan

May 11, 2026 · n = 1,000 · MoE ±3.3%Source report ↗

Core finding

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 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%

n = 1,000 · May 11, 2026 · MoE ±3.3%

ModeVerasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
PopulationUS adults age 18+
Field datesMay 11, 2026
Base (unweighted)1,000
Margin of error±3.3%
Moduleidentity
SponsorVerasight
Weight variableweight
Weighting targetsage, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

Sources

  1. 01

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

    reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26

Cite this question

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