College English Research Paper
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to identify the attitudes and perceptions first-year college students have towards vegetarianism, and thus to discover further specific influences concerning them. An online questionnaire composed of “Personal Information,” “Attitudes and
Perceptions,” “Vegetarian Status,” and “Additional thoughts and concerns about vegetarianism” was employed through a freshman Facebook group. The results revealed that females are more likely to be vegetarians than males, that gender and socio-economic differences factor greatly, and that the taste of meat primarily accounts for non-vegetarianism while a lower risk to diseases for vegetarianism. Finally, a vegetarian lifestyle is perceived healthy, but the taste of meat as well as the social and scientific influences encourages deviance from it.
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INTRODUCTION
The world has produced thinkers for every range of specializations, from the brutish existence in the wilderness up to the present conditions of civilization. In the occurrence of pluralism, every person certainly has something worthwhile to offer. With regard to the fulfillment of a human person’s basic needs – food, shelter, and clothing – the first appears that he or she render with the greatest attention. Eating, hence, conveys a variety of social meanings attributed according to the setting, the companions, and most importantly the food being consumed and partaken with. Amidst the cross-cultural consumption of meat arises the prominence of vegetarianism in the contemporary society.
Vegetarianism, more prevalent in the developed countries than in the developing ones,
Matthew Ruby explains, “has a recorded history dating back to ancient Greece” (141). The
Vegetarian Society provides a clear-cut definition of the term “vegetarian,” i.e. “someone who lives on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruits, with or without the use of dairy products and eggs,” and thus “does not eat any meat, poultry, fish, game,
The purpose of this study is to identify the attitudes and perceptions first-year college students have towards vegetarianism, and thus to discover further specific influences concerning them. An online questionnaire composed of “Personal Information,” “Attitudes and
Perceptions,” “Vegetarian Status,” and “Additional thoughts and concerns about vegetarianism” was employed through a freshman Facebook group. The results revealed that females are more likely to be vegetarians than males, that gender and socio-economic differences factor greatly, and that the taste of meat primarily accounts for non-vegetarianism while a lower risk to diseases for vegetarianism. Finally, a vegetarian lifestyle is perceived healthy, but the taste of meat as well as the social and scientific influences encourages deviance from it.
2
INTRODUCTION
The world has produced thinkers for every range of specializations, from the brutish existence in the wilderness up to the present conditions of civilization. In the occurrence of pluralism, every person certainly has something worthwhile to offer. With regard to the fulfillment of a human person’s basic needs – food, shelter, and clothing – the first appears that he or she render with the greatest attention. Eating, hence, conveys a variety of social meanings attributed according to the setting, the companions, and most importantly the food being consumed and partaken with. Amidst the cross-cultural consumption of meat arises the prominence of vegetarianism in the contemporary society.
Vegetarianism, more prevalent in the developed countries than in the developing ones,
Matthew Ruby explains, “has a recorded history dating back to ancient Greece” (141). The
Vegetarian Society provides a clear-cut definition of the term “vegetarian,” i.e. “someone who lives on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruits, with or without the use of dairy products and eggs,” and thus “does not eat any meat, poultry, fish, game,
Cited: Leahy, Eimear, Lyons, S. and Tol, R. "Determinants of Vegetarianism and Meat Consumption Frequency in Ireland." The Economic and Social Review (2011): 407-436. Preece, Rod. Sins of the Flesh: A History of Ethical Vegetarian Thought. UBC Press, 2008. Puskar-Pasewicz, Margaret. Cultural Encyclopedia of Vegetarianism. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood, 2010. American Dietetic Association. Journal of the American Dietetic Association (2009): 648. Ruby, Matthew. "Vegetarianism: A Blossoming Field of Study." Appetite (2012): 141-150. Trautmann, Julianne, et al. "Vegetarian Students in Their First Year of College: Are They At Risk for Restrictive or Disordered Eating Behaviors." College Student Journal (2008): Zur, Ifat, et al. "Individual Motivations for Limiting Meat Consumption." British Food Journal (2014): 629-642.