Young people will shape future food choices, which makes them a key audience for advocacy. Studies from several countries suggest that they are also more open to plant-based diets: they buy more plant-based alternatives and are more likely to be vegetarian or vegan.
But our research in Türkiye tells a different story. In our report Toward Plant-Forward Diets in Türkiye, 18–24-year-olds viewed plant-based diets more negatively than middle-aged groups. For example, 57% held negative views on health and nutrition, compared with 47% of 35–44-year-olds.
When we shared this at a webinar with advocates in Türkiye, many asked us to dig deeper for their advocacy. So we took a closer look at the 643 young people in our sample.
What did we find?
🥗 Health and cost stand out more than values.  64% disagree that a plant-based diet is healthy, and 56% that it is affordable. Views on values are more positive: only 25% disagree that it is socially acceptable.Â
💚 Health is both a concern and a motivation. Negative views on health are common in every group we looked at, even in groups that are relatively more positive, such as women and those familiar with plant-based diets. At the same time, health is a common motivation among young people who report reducing or avoiding animal-based products (57%). In other words, health appears to be both a common concern about plant-based diets and an important reason for those who have already changed their diet. Â
👥 Not all young people see plant-based diets the same way. Young men hold more negative views than women on health, values and taste, with the largest gap on values (48% vs. 26%). Negative views on practicality and access are more common among students (61%) than among employed young people (44%), which may reflect the more limited budgets and food options many students have.
What could this mean for advocates?Â
Since concerns about health are common across groups, reliable information on the health and nutritional value of plant-based diets may be relevant for young people in general. For young men, who hold more negative views on values and taste, it may be worth testing how values-based messages and experience-based approaches such as tastings are received. For students, improving access to affordable and convenient plant-based options may be particularly effective.Â
These findings come with a few limitations. They show where negative perceptions are more common, but not why. Our sample is not representative of young people in Türkiye, and the findings on motivations are based on only 85 respondents.
More research is needed to understand what drives these views and which approaches can change them. It is also important to know whether this pattern is specific to Türkiye or appears in other countries too, and whether it reflects a lasting generational shift or something that changes as young people get older. Studies with larger, representative samples, studies that follow people over time, and studies that test the effect of different messages could help answer these questions.
👉 Read the full report!
Questions, feedback, or need help applying the findings? Take this 1-minute feedback survey.Â
