Lots of people are vegetarian or vegan for two much more compelling reasons than 'animal activism' -- matters of spirituality, and matters of finance.

More than a third of the world's population is meatless at least some part of the year because of spirituality/faith-based fasting periods. In fact, it might even be up to half of the population.

Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Moslems and all variations of Catholics (Roman and Eastern Orthodox) 'fast' from meat either entirely or for periods during the year.

As for 'animal activism' as a reason for vegetarianism...well, I'm one of the people who does the kind of work that makes PETA violently abusive (and me proud ), so in my case animal activism was in no way any reason for choosing to be meatless, something I did for more than 25 years.

I went meatless because, in the 70s, they were gift-wrapping meat because it was so expensive. As a starving student and then an underemployed, underpaid writer for all of my 20s, I had to find a way to feed myself and my 7 roomies when only two of us were bringing in any kind of paycheck. I could keep our protein up AND feed us all well for about $25/week as a meatless house, but it would have cost twice that or more if we'd tried to eat meat even one meal a day. So we stayed more or less meatless for two years, and I learned to like meatless ethnic cuisine. Thus a vegetarian was born.



Actually, I was pretty healthy as a vegetarian...but I learned a LOT about vegetarian eating from various ethnic students at the international student center where I cooked (one of the paying jobs) and from reading the best vegetarian cooking authors around in the 70s and early 80s. I paid attention to balancing my diet, always included dairy and good fats, and didn't actually get overwrought about fat as vegetarianism evolved in the late 80s/early 90s. It was only when I was working at a good enough job that I could start affording to add meat into my diet that I started to gain weight.

But mileage will vary.