New+Zealand+Vegetarians+-+At+Odds+With+Their+Nation

**Potts, Annie, and Mandala White. "New Zealand Vegetarians: At Odds With Their Nation." // Society & Animals // 16.4 (2008): 18. Print.**
==== Fresh estimates provided by the European Vegetarian Union (1908) suggest that up to 9% of the United Kingdom’s population identifies as vegetarian. This is echoed by 4% in Canada, 9% in Germany, and 4-7% in the United States. ====

In any nation predominantly defined by its farming history and its capacity to raise and kill animals, the refusal to eat meat may be viewed as a defiant, unpatriotic act.
==== Participants listed ethical, spiritual, and environmental reasons for avoiding meat and/or other animal-derived products. The most-cited reason was compassion toward nonhuman animals (65% women and 15% men); followed by (a) spiritual and/or religious reasons (17% women and 6% men) and (b) environmental reasons (8% women and 4% men). ==== ==== Sabloff (2001) has described these divisions as metaphorical domains through which humans in Western societies come to understand and relate to nonhuman animals. Sabloff identified the divisions as (a) the “kinship” domain, in which certain animals are treated with affection, and (b) the “utility” domain, in which other animals are deemed merely as instruments in the service of humans. ====

The dominance of women over men in studies on vegetarianism is common.
==== Vegetarians were classified as pesco—(consume fish but no other animal flesh), pollo- (consume chicken but no other animal flesh), ovo-lacto- (consume no animal flesh but eat eggs and dairy products), lacto- (consume dairy but not eggs or animal flesh), and ovo-vegetarians (consume eggs but no animal flesh or dairy products). Those identifying as vegans in this study avoided all animal products ([|www.ivu.org]). ====

==== Other studies focusing on the socio-demographic profile of vegetarians in western countries have noted vegetarians are more likely to be women, highly educated, of high socioeconomic status, and living in urbanized areas (Hoek et al., 2004). In our study, participants were more likely to be women and live in cities, but participants were spread across all socioeconomic groups. ==== ==== Our participants, like McDonald’s, found their catalytic experiences to be highly emotional, fueled by the “recognition of the power relationship between human and nonhuman animals [and] fed by negative emotions, such as guilt, sadness and anger” (p. 9). ==== ==== Mostly, these related to so-called pragmatics of farm life such as (a) the home-killing of chickens and other animals for food; (b) the separation of cows from newborn calves; (c) sending animals to the slaughterhouse; (d) the culling of pests; and (d) various other farming practices such as shearing and milking. ==== ==== Some of the more graphic accounts of animal abuse and slaughter witnessed by participants as children were associated with school visits to farms. Several urban-raised adults recalled taking school trips when they were between 7 and10 years old and witnessing the slaughter of sheep either on farms or at slaughterhouses. ====

For those who grew up without a connection to farms, emotional relationships with companion animals were key antecedents to becoming vegetarian.
==== In New Zealand, as in other industrialized countries, there is typically a strict separation in terms of worth between farmed animals (considered economically beneficial) and companion animals (considered emotionally beneficial). ==== ==== The beliefs and attitudes accompanying the dietary practices of participants suggest that many of them have had to take a stand against the culture in which they were raised. Many reported having to tolerate challenges and, in some cases, abuse from others about their (perceived) lack of patriotism. ====