The Science of Behavior Change

Thanks to data collected over the years, we’re able to learn more about how people think, and what drives them to change their behavior, which is incredibly important when it comes to animal advocacy.

Meet people where they’re at

Firstly, here’s a few interesting statistics that can be useful to keep in mind when you’re engaging with the public:

  1. 97% of the population opposes animal cruelty

  2. According to one poll of 2,000 people by LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming):

    • More than a third of 16 to 23-year-olds (36%) do not know bacon comes from pigs, and

    • Four in 10 (40%) failed to link milk with an image of a dairy cow, with 7% linking it to wheat

  3. According to another survey by Farm Forward:

    • 20% of people asked said they don’t think the meat they typically buy comes from animals raised on factory farms, although almost 99% of farmed animals in the US are raised on factory farms, and

    • A further 22% said they didn’t know what type of farms the meat they typically buy comes from, meaning that almost half of American consumers are either uninformed or incorrect about how meat is produced

  4. Seven percent of all American adults (16.4 million people) even believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows

These results prove how important it is to share information to educate people on the realities of animal agriculture. But is this all it takes?

Information + caring = action

We need a little more than just sharing information for people to act, we also need them to care about the facts they are presented with. Luckily, the science is in our favor, as we already know that 97% of the US public are against animal cruelty. 

So we need to help people align their actions with their morals. 

But how do we do this? 

Below are four areas that we can focus on to ensure we are as effective as possible in our animal advocacy efforts.

  1. Self-efficacy

You can do it

Self-efficacy is defined as ‘an individual's belief in his or her capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1997).’ In short, this means that people must know that their actions are going to make a difference in order to convince them to act.

So how can we achieve this in animal advocacy? Luckily, by going vegan, an individual can directly impact not just the lives of animals, but the future of the planet, too. Did you know that every single day, a vegan saves approximately:

One Animal Life

1,100 gallons of water

30 sq ft of forest

Even just one person really can make a difference.

And in order to achieve self-efficacy, people must believe in themselves and their power to make the change. Our job is to help them realize they can do it - that it’s possible. 

2. Community

I can help you

Community is such an important part of life - without it, we can feel isolated and alone. Getting involved in a social justice movement like animal protection is a great way for people to build community and connect with like-minded people.

Community is most important when people are extrinsically motivated; they know this is something they want to do, but they haven't gotten to the point where they can motivate themselves to act just yet - they need others to help.

This is where we come in.

People need encouragement plus connection.

Too often, this is the stage where people experience judgment and isolation instead of the encouragement they need. But we can change this.

When advocating for animals and sharing the benefits of choosing vegan, it’s important to remind people that they’re not alone. Most people care about animals, and many people are currently exploring ways they can help them with their lifestyle choices.

Luckily, we have resources available to help people every step of the way.

For example, TryVeg is an excellent resource that includes delicious and nutritious vegan recipes.

Vegan events and meetups also take place throughout the year, which is a great way to build community. You can find out more at our Upcoming Events page.

The main thing to remember is that none of us are alone in wanting to do better for animals.

3. Identity

Live your values

We already know that the vast majority of people oppose animal cruelty, so promoting a vegan lifestyle simply means helping people to align their actions with the values they already have.

We can do this by communicating that the vegan movement is one of compassion, and most people are compassionate people.

For example, someone may hold a door open for somebody else walking behind them, or give up a seat for an elderly person on public transport - these actions are aligned with this person’s value of compassion.

Going vegan is simply another way we can help compassionate people to take another action that aligns with these values.

4. Story-telling

Make it personal

Most of us have eaten products deriving from animals at some point in our lives. Therefore, many of us will have a story about how we made the transition to a vegan lifestyle.

These stories can be incredibly helpful for people who are thinking about making the same switch.

Can you remember what helped you first make the connection?

Sharing this information can help people to relate to you and learn from your experiences. It may even encourage them to think about their own choices, too.

★ Key Takeaway

When having conversations, it’s really important to listen and understand our audience and what their values are, since there is always a connection between core values and vegan eating.

Most of us would consider ourselves as compassionate people.

And compassion is the route to veganism.

So, it’s our job to help people to see how their identity can be enhanced by going vegan.