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A new study has analyzed Google search data to find the most “vegan-obsessed” towns and cities in the UK – and the results may surprise you.
Researchers at Dr. Vegan looked at the average search volume data for the term “vegan” per 100,000 residents in each area. London, which has previously been crowned the “most vegan-friendly city in the world,” didn’t make the top five, instead coming in sixth place. Norwich was the winner, with 952 average monthly searches per 100K residents.
In second place was Cambridge, with 889 average searches per 100,000 residents. Bristol came third, with 790 average searches.
Tumbridge Wells in Kent was found to be the place that’s least interested in veganism, with just 12 average searches per 100,000 people.
The UK’s most ‘vegan-obsessed’ cities
The top 10 most “vegan-obsessed” cities (and their average monthly searches per 100,000 residents) is below:
- Norwich (952)
- Cambridge (889)
- Bristol (790)
- Bath (752)
- Brighton and Hove (570)
- London (560)
- Glasgow (548)
- Edinburgh (418)
- Liverpool (390)
- Oxford (346)
Norwich is located in Norfolk County in the east of England. According to Happy Cow, it has 127 vegan and vegetarian-friendly restaurants. Visit Norwich claims that it’s one of the “top cities in England” for vegan food. It’s all-vegan eateries include a café called Tofurei (which stocks homemade tofu and cakes) and a falafel bar named Moorish. Norwich also features a vegan shop called Little Shop of Vegans, which offers foods like seitan and cashew cheese.
In March of this year, Norwich became the latest city in the UK to endorse the Plant Based Treaty. The Treaty aims to address the environmental damage caused by the animal food system. While cities that endorse the Treaty don’t go fully plant-based, they do generally make a number of commitments to promote animal-free eating. Norwich vowed to improve access to vegan foods in council-run spaces, such as markets, events, and leisure centers.
Veganism in the UK
The study comes amid growing interest in veganism in the UK. Over the last 10 years, the number of people following the lifestyle has skyrocketed.
In 2014, it was thought that there were around 150,000 vegans in the country. By 2019, this had quadrupled to 600,000. Some estimates, however, put the number of vegans much higher.
There is growing awareness of the huge ethical implications of eating animal products in the UK. Around 1.2 billion land animals are killed each year in the country (as well as countless fishes*), and multiple investigations have shown that animals suffer hugely on farms.
Government data released earlier this year found that the UK population was eating the lowest amount of meat since records began in 1974.
As well as changing dietary habits (like plant-based and “flexitarian” diets), the cost of living crisis and the ongoing impact of Covid-19 were cited as reasons for the move away from meat.
*While the English language typically refers to multiple fishes as “fish,” we choose fishes to emphasize their individuality
