An estimated 12% of the population currently opt for a meat-free lifestyle and while this might not sound like many, it equates to nearly 7.8m people across the UK.
The figures also show that Generation X (14%), Millennials (15%) and Generation Z (14%) are far more likely to adopt a meat-free lifestyle and so it could soon become the norm, with these generations already accounting for 5.8m people who choose to live meat-free.
Research by the student accommodation provider, UniHomes, has also found that students could be helping to lead the meat-free revolution. While 86% of UK adults are meat-eaters in the traditional sense, the research found just 64% of students shared the same dietary choice.
18% were flexitarians occasionally eating meat or fish, 8% were completely vegetarian, 6% were pescatarian, with 3% stating they were vegan.
The predominant reason was the health benefits associated with doing so. Personal benefits aside, students were also largely influenced by their environmental footprint and their moral beliefs, while some were influenced by friends and even media such as Netflix documentaries.
However, heading away to university can prove problematic when it comes to sticking to your dietary lifestyle, with UniHomes finding that 52% of students struggle to do so once-living away from home.
The cost of groceries ranked as one of the biggest factors although this is perhaps understandable given that a vegan diet has the highest average costs per month when compared to other dietary lifestyles.
Research by PETA has revealed that when it comes to veganism specifically, some universities are working hard to make students feel at home. According to PETA, the best-ranked vegan-friendly universities are the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics. London (8), the South East (7) and the South West (4) are the regions home to the most top-rated, vegan-friendly universities.
Additionally, research by MyStudentHalls found that when it comes to the healthiest universities in the UK, the University of Nottingham ranked top, with the Universities of Edinburgh, York, Glasgow and Bristol also ranking amongst the best for health-conscious students.
