Nearly a quarter of Americans are eating less meat

According to a September 2019 Gallup poll, 23% of Americans reported that they ate less meat in the past year than they had previously. However, 72% said they are eating the same amount of meat.

When asked how often they eat meat, 67% of consumers said “frequently,” 23% said “occasionally,” and 7% said “rarely.” Only 3% said they “never” eat meat. The results of the poll showed that women are about twice as likely as men to have cut down on meat consumption. Those from the Midwest are less likely to be reducing their meat consumption compared with adults from other parts of the country.

For those Americans who reported cutting back on meat or not eating it at all, nine in 10 said that health concerns were a major (70%) or minor (20%) reason. After health, environmental concerns are the next most prominent factor leading to reduced meat consumption. In fact, 49% said concerns about the environment were a major reason for reducing their meat consumption, and 21% said they were a minor reason. Some other top concerns for wanting to reduce their meat consumption were food safety (43% major, 22% minor reason) and animal welfare (41% major, 24% minor reason).

Most Americans (77%) who are cutting back their consumption of meat are doing so by eating smaller portions. Men (71%) are substituting vegetables or other ingredients for some of the meat in recipes, and 69% are eliminating meat from some meals. And 36% of Americans are eating meat replacements such as plant-based burgers or sausages.

Gallup poll results