Who gives a veg? Relations between personality and Vegetarianism/Veganism.

With rates of vegetarianism and veganism (i.e., vegnism) rising around the world, a growing body of research has begun to explore psychological characteristics that distinguish vegetarians and vegans from omnivores. However, relatively few studies have examined how vegnism is related to differences in basic personality traits such as the "Big Five", with those that have tending to yield conflicting results. Moreover, none of these studies have examined personality at the lower levels of the personality trait hierarchy (i.e., aspects and facets of the Big Five). Thus, we sought to clarify how personality traits are related to vegnism. In Study 1, comprising two samples (S1a: N = 797, S1b: N = 1534), participants were categorised as Vegn vs Restricted-omnivore vs Omnivore, and completed personality questionnaires at the domain and aspect levels of the Big Five. In Study 2, participants (N = 562) completed both categorical and continuous measures of vegnism, along with personality questionnaires at the domain, aspect, and facet levels. Across both studies, we found that people who scored higher on traits within the openness/intellect and agreeableness domains most consistently reported higher levels of vegnism. Patterns in the data also suggested that the relation between personality and vegnism might depend on the way vegnism is measured. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.