The Vegan Research Panel
Veganism first emerged as a lifestyle choice in the 1940's. Less then one percent of the population is vegan, therefore very little research has been done to find out about this segment of the vegetarian marketplace.
Traditionally it has been difficult to research vegans due to the smaller numbers involved. The advent of the internet opened up the possibilities of reaching a mass of vegans for the first time, and in 2000 we set up the Vegan Research Panel to do this.
The panel consisted of two thousand people who agreed to answer an online questionnaire about their lifestyle twice a year. The panel members were recruited via a random pop-up on the Vegan Village website. They were contacted by email each time a questionnaire was ready for them to complete, and around one thousand people took part in each survey.
Prior to the panel there had never been any market research published specifically on vegans. The Panel carried out eight surveys and published everything from vegan demographics through to what vegans want for Christmas! We also carried out a private survey on behalf of Veggie Vision, to research the feasibility of a website dedicated to showing vegetarian-related videos.
The results from the surveys remain online, supported by a summary of the national statistics available on veganism. The Panel website is very popular with researchers, academics and potential business owners who need market research to support their business plans. You can visit the Panel website live at www.imaner.net/panel.