Thoughts my own and don't represent my employer
Thank you for this write up.
Martin Balluch's writing on this topic has impacted my way of thinking a lot on this. I think his 'Balluch Curve' succintly illustrates the problem and an approach to overcome it.
Article is written in German and quotes are google translated
We know from vegan and vegetarian people that most of them fall back into the sink. The system is stronger. Only a perhaps 5% large group with enough pioneering spirit stays up there on the right. In other words: the vegan outreach and the revelations of eg the VGT are constantly shoveling people right up the curve, but sooner or later they roll back again. A Sisyphean task.
How could you support people so that they can stay on the top right? By making vegetarian/vegan life easier. And that's why I founded the Vegan Society Austria with my brother and my partner at the time in 1999. It awards a vegan seal so that the animal-free products are easily recognizable, it organizes vegan cooking courses for prospective chefs, it disseminates information about health aspects, arranges vegan-friendly doctors, etc. This activity can be illustrated as a small or large dent in the curve. A second dip in vegetarianism or veganism, not nearly as far down as the deepest dip, but at least providing something to hold on to, some protection against falling into the main dip. Then it will be easier for people
So we're not really getting anywhere unless we change the system. Let's imagine we shift the sink to the right! If that succeeds, then all people suddenly behave in a more animal-friendly manner, then the system forces them to do so, even if that is not their belief. But isn't it utopian to change the system? Is not it. At the beginning of the 19th century there were still no animal protection laws and instead there was a baiting theater in Vienna, where animals were set against each other, or animals were hounded by packs of dogs and humans. The "having a rush" in Viennese for having fun comes from that. So the depression was on the far left. And now it's not that anymore, there's no such thing as hate theatre, at least the status of animals has risen to such an extent that torture for fun has been outlawed.
Speaking very recently to someone involved in vegan outreach from their POV from many hours of conversations, the biggest challenge to adoption and retention is people worrying about not fitting in with those around them.
I definitely agree that veg retention is an important piece, although I think many animal organisations are dealing with limited resources and I think as a result are looking to shift society to the right, cage-free, higher welfare etc, which ultimately makes the jump/drop from veg smaller and probably supports enduring change more. I personally, would be interested in seeing research into veg retention, but would rank it beneath research into shifting to higher welfare.
Appreciate this post.
Sections that stood out for me as being particularly tractable & scalable are:
Appreciate this post, I will probably share it with people seeking advice from me in the future. I sometimes in these sort of calls/chats feel an expectation from the person seeking advice to drive the entire conversation which is draining for me and can make me hesitant to take on more calls like this. I have enjoyed the calls and think they have been much more value to the person when approached as you've described.
Thanks for this post. We, The Humane League, recently worked with Majid Al Futtaim on their cage-free egg policy and are keen to do more work in the UAE and the region over the coming years. As mentioned in your problem profile, the approach we took here was slightly different to the approach in other regions. If anyone is living in the UAE and surrounding region and interested in working on farmed animal welfare. I'd be keen to hear from you.
This is another great piece of writing from you Engin, thanks!