Is A No-Meat World Really Better?

Let's face it: Vegetarians are a strict minority of the U.S. population.

The numbers seem to be increasing, though data from various surveys vary widely.

For example, a Public Policy Polling of 500 respondents indicates a jump in non-meat-eaters from one percent in 1971 to a whopping 13 percent in 2013 — 6 percent vegans, 7 percent vegetarians. (Somewhat tragicomically, the question about vegetarianism is part of a poll titled: "Americans pick Ronald McDonald over Burger King for President.") Other sources show results which, if you are rooting for vegetarianism, are much worse. A endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration concludes that 2.3 percent of U.S. adults are vegetarians and 1.4 percent are vegans. A commissioned by the Vegetarian Resource Group puts the number of vegetarian adults at 3.3 percent and vegans at about half of that. So, this suggests a roughly a 50 percent growth in numbers in the past 10 years.