The Kids Are Alright: In the UK, 35% of Gen-Z Will Be Meat-Free By 2021

Millennials may have sparked a global interest in eating less meat, but Gen-Z, as the kids' favorite memes might say, just told them to "hold my beer." New data show they're poised to adopt a plant-based diet en masse: 35 percent of Gen-Zers says they'll be plant-based by next year.

The data come from a recent survey conducted by research site Finder.com. According to the survey, 23 percent of Brits, about 12 million people, say they're shifting toward a mostly meat-free diet. Thirty-five percent of Gen-Z say they're aiming to be meat-free compared to 32 percent of Millennials.

With most of those surveyed saying they're going vegetarian—meaning they still consume eggs and dairy—the shift brings the number of vegetarians (in the UK) to nearly six million.

The number of Brits shifting to a pescatarian diet—consuming fish but not red meat or poultry—is expected to spike to more than 35 million.

“Although a lot of people seem to have struggled to make the permanent switch to a meat-free diet over the past 12 months, this year’s findings echo our previous research in showing that adopting a veggie diet is a high priority for the UK," Georgia-Rose Johnson, shopping and travel specialist at finder.com, said in a statement.

“Meat-free diets and being ‘flexitarian’ are getting more media exposure than ever so you would expect these positive trends to continue growing," she said.

According to Finder, the biggest spike is happening with the number of young people going vegan. The survey found more than a million Brits plan to go vegan in 2020. The number of vegans in the UK has spiked 62 percent since 2019 and is expected to double by the end of this year.

In a 2017 survey, Gen Z was already showing signs of love for the plant-based lifestyle. According to research by Barclays, those born between 1995 and 2005 are more into plant-based foods than previous generations, even millennials. Even then, Gen Z was purchasing 80 percent more kale, 57 percent more tofu, and 266 percent more avocados than previous generations! Generation Z consumes 550 percent more plant-based milk than Generation X. No wonder the Oat milk revolution is upon us as every year more of them age out of living at home and begin to purchase their own food.