Animal welfare, environmental concern and disliking the taste of meat: These are the top reasons why almost one-third of respondents said they had followed a vegetarian diet for more than two months, according to a survey of 121 students conducted by The Urban Legend.

Vaani Chandra ’25 has followed a vegetarian diet for nine years. They cited vegetarianism as a way to relate to their communities. “Within the desi community, a lot of people are vegetarian,” Chandra said. “[Vegetarianism] is another way for me to feel connected, and that’s part of the reason I [became] vegetarian in the first place.”

 Conversely, some have found more relationships through food after ending a vegetarian diet. “I think it really excites my dad to get to serve the food that he makes to [my whole] family,” Katie Carroll ‘27 said. “Not being vegetarian has given me … [time to] connect with my dad over [the] food that he makes.”

Concerns for animal welfare drive some students to follow a vegetarian diet. “I love nature so much. But how can I say that I love nature if I eat all these animals, and all the animal sees is the inside of a factory?” said Emma Spivak ’27, who has been vegetarian for six months.

Si Wyman ’26, who has been vegetarian for six years, voiced similar thoughts. “We’re desensitized to the fact that this [meat] is actually an animal first,” she said.

According to the Animal Welfare Institute, most farm animals — excluding chickens — undergo at least one painful physical alteration in their lives, such as dehorning, branding or castration, to facilitate their captivity in factory farms. Farm owners often perform these procedures without providing pain relief.

Of the 37 vegetarian students who participated in the survey, 41% listed animal cruelty as their main reason for following the diet. Moreover, 19% cited environmental concerns as their top motivation.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 14.5% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions globally come from animal agriculture. Cows release methane through digestion and waste, contributing significantly to these emissions. Furthermore, more than 70% of soy crop and 48.7% of all corn crop goes toward feeding livestock, using large amounts of water, fossil fuels and pesticides to grow.

“We’re slowly killing the planet,” Sophie Kocher ‘28 said. “We’re chopping down trees and building farms that produce massive amounts of waste and greenhouse gases.”

Nationally, only around 4% of Americans identify as vegetarian and 1% as vegan, according to a 2023 Gallup poll.

Some students reflected on the barriers preventing people from becoming vegetarian. “I love the taste of meat, and if fake meat becomes good enough that I wouldn’t be able to notice the difference, then there’s no reason not to go vegetarian,” Andrew Yost Brody ‘26 said. “Unfortunately, fake meat is not at that stage yet, but it does keep improving.”

According to the National Library of Medicine, a vegetarian diet leads to lower intake of saturated fat and cholesterol. It also helps prevent diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

Many vegetarians find it challenging to find plant-based protein sources. In the same survey conducted by The Urban Legend, more than half of the vegetarians said their biggest obstacle was finding enough protein and having a balanced diet.

Wyman reflected on the solutions she has found. “There’s so much protein out there that isn’t meat,” she said. “So I think you have to get creative with it. … I love tofu [as a protein source].”

Dietary limitations prove frustrating for many vegetarians but are oftentimes invisible to non-vegetarians. “There’s people I know who were vegetarian for a short period of time, and that helped them be aware of how hard it can be to get vegetarian hot food options that are protein-rich,” Chandra said. “I appreciate anybody who’s aware of that, because a lot of the time my friends have taken me places where I can’t eat anything or there’s just one option.”

Carroll believes fewer people will choose vegetarianism since the Trump administration has stopped efforts to monitor the effects of climate change. “[The government] does not fully believe in climate change, which is one of the main reasons that people become vegetarian,” she said. “[Their actions have] such an impact on all of the media that we consume, so I don’t think there will be more vegetarians in the future.”

For those unsure about committing to vegetarianism, vegetarians urge them to think about their values. Kali Love ’27, said, “Committing to becoming a vegetarian can be challenging for some people. But if you have the motivation and the love for animals, it’s a really good choice.”

Some students say that even small shifts in eating habits can be meaningful. “You don’t have to be a full vegetarian,” Spivak said. “You can just eat some plant-based meals sometimes. You don’t have to be all or nothing.”