Veganism during the COVID-19 pandemic: Vegans' and nonvegans' perspectives

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered growing public interest in veganism, veganism's conceptualization remains ambiguous. Moreover, vegans' and nonvegans' different perspectives have rarely been addressed. Hence, this study involved the opinions of both vegans and nonvegans in the COVID-19 context to understand their attitudes, motivations, and opinions related to veganism. We analyzed online discourses in vegan and antivegan online communities using Word2Vec analysis and qualitative analysis. We identified lists of terms associated with three key veganism dimensions (i.e., lifestyle, animal rights, and food). Moreover, we compared actual online discussions among vegans to those among nonvegans regarding specific veganism attributes. This study preliminarily identifies specific attributes associated with veganism in online discourse among vegans. The issues addressed in this study can be tested in future research. Our findings can also be useful for people in various stages of veganism—such as active vegans, people who are interested in veganism, or even nonvegans who are uninterested in veganism—to comprehend the different perceptions prevailing in each group.