Two-Thirds Of Men Would Rather Die 10 Years Earlier Than Give Up Meat

A new survey has found two-thirds of Brits would rather die up to 10 years earlier than expected than cut out meat from their diet.

Imagine all the things you could do in a decade if you were to just switch to vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.

But it's clear from the No Meat May study conducted by OnePoll that a massive majority of people in the UK are really attached to eating meat.

The survey also discovered what people's perceptions are of the no-meat life, with more than one in 10 men believe giving up meat would make them feel less masculine.

Women also agreed that a meat-free diet is more feminine, with 39 per cent of females saying they would prefer not to have a partner that was vegan, compared with 37 per cent for men.

Not only are people willing to die earlier than forsaking steaks, chicken salad and seafood pasta, but around one in 20 men also said they would rather go to jail.

The survey asked 2,000 people about a range of topics related to veganism and 30 per cent of men believe humans are meant to eat meat, compared with 22 per cent of women.

While it seemed like people are against turning away from meat, many said they would opt for more plants if it directly helped their health.

Thirty-five per cent of men would cut meat out completely if they knew it would improve their general health, while 18 per cent would do it if it helped their sexual performance.

Dr Shireen Kassam, founder of Plant Based Health Professionals UK, said: "This survey highlights a real disconnect between the science and public attitudes relating to meat consumption.

"Given that eating meat, particularly red and processed meat, is a leading risk factor for some of our commonest chronic illnesses, it is quite alarming to learn how entrenched some myths and beliefs about a vegan diet actually are.

"This is undoubtedly a result of decades of effective marketing and PR by the meat industry."

But it seems like the tide is slowly changing in terms of attitudes.

People in the younger generations say they are more comfortable with eating a plant-based diet and sometimes feel pressured to eat meat.

Incredibly, 21 per cent of people aged 16-34 said they ate meat to fit in with their colleagues, compared to just 8 per cent in people over 65.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Food, News, meat, Vegan

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie