Perceptions of Plant-Based Diets among Gen Z in Türkiye
A Closer Look at 18–24-Year-Olds
Executive Summary
Background
Young people are often thought to be more open to plant-based diets than other age groups, and studies from several countries support this view. Our report Toward Plant-Forward Diets in Türkiye points in a different direction: respondents aged 18–24 held more negative views of plant-based diets than middle-aged groups. For example, 57% of 18–24-year-olds held negative views on health and nutrition, compared with 47% of 35–44-year-olds. The gap was similar for practicality and access (58% vs. 46%). When we presented these findings at a webinar with organizations and activists working on plant-based diets and animal rights and welfare in Türkiye, participants asked for a closer look at this group. In response, this short report examines the 643 respondents aged 18–24 in our sample.
Who are the young people in our sample?
Three in four are students, and around 60% have a monthly income below 10,000 TL, including family support (26% in the full sample). Half live in metropolitan areas. About 5% are vegetarian or vegan, slightly more than in the full sample (3.6%), and 8% are trying to reduce their meat consumption. More than one in three (37%) are familiar with plant-based diets: they follow or have followed one, or have close family or friends who do.
How do they perceive plant-based diets?
We asked respondents how much they agreed with 11 statements about plant-based diets, grouped into four dimensions. Negative perceptions are most common on health and nutrition, and on practicality and access: in both, around 57% of young respondents hold negative views. The share is 48% for taste and enjoyment and 36% for values and social norms. Looking at individual statements, 64% disagree that a plant-based diet is healthy and 56% that it is affordable, while only 25% disagree that it is socially acceptable. Overall, negative perceptions centre less on values and more on concrete issues such as health and cost.
What motivates those who reduce or avoid animal-based products?
Among the 85 young respondents who report reducing or avoiding animal-based products, the most common motivations are animal rights and welfare (60%), health (57%) and liking the taste of plant-based/vegan products (53%). Lower cost is cited least (27%). Health holds an interesting position: although most young respondents disagree that a plant-based diet is healthy, more than half of those who reduce or avoid animal-based products see health as an effective motivation.
How do perceptions differ among young people?
We compared negative perceptions by gender, income, education/employment status, region, type of settlement, familiarity with plant-based diets and exposure to plant-based alternatives. Two characteristics stand out across most dimensions: gender and familiarity with plant-based diets.
Health and nutrition: Negative perceptions about health are common in every group, but they are higher among young men (64%) than among women (52%), and among those not familiar with plant-based diets (65%) than among those who are (44%).
Values and social norms: This is the dimension young people view most positively, but it also shows the largest gender gap: 48% of young men hold negative views, compared with 26% of women.
Practicality and access: Differences between groups are smaller here. The clearest gap is between students (61%) and employed young people (44%), and cost is the issue that stands out most in this dimension. Given students' often limited budgets, and that cost is the most prominent issue in this dimension, practicality and price may play an important role in their food choices.
Taste and enjoyment: Negative views are higher among young men (58%) than among women (40%), and among those not familiar with plant-based diets (55%) than among those who are (35%). At the same time, more than half of those who reduce or avoid animal-based products say liking the taste of plant-based/vegan products influenced their choice.
These findings point to several areas of focus for advocacy work aimed at young people:
Health: Health is both a widespread concern and one of the main motivations for those who reduce or avoid animal-based products. It may therefore be a barrier for some young people and a motivation for others. Campaigns that provide accurate and reliable information on the health and nutritional value of plant-based diets could help address this concern.
Young men: Young men hold more negative views than women on health, values and taste. The gap is largest on values: nearly half of young men hold negative views on this dimension, compared with about a quarter of women. Exploring how values-based messages, for example on the environment or ethics, and experience-based approaches such as tastings resonate with young men could help in developing more effective strategies for this group.
Students: Negative perceptions about practicality and cost are more common among students than among employed young people. Advocacy work aimed at students could therefore focus on increasing the availability of affordable and easily accessible plant-based options.
A note on interpretation
These findings show in which groups negative perceptions are more common, but not why, nor whether the suggested actions would work. Familiarity with plant-based diets, for example, goes together with more positive views, but our data cannot tell whether familiarity improves views or whether those with positive views are more likely to try plant-based diets. Our sample is not representative of young people in Türkiye, and the findings on motivations are based on only 85 respondents. We therefore see these results as questions that call for further research. Studies with larger, representative samples, and studies that test the effect of different messages, could help answer them.
