More than 700,000 people signed up in 2023, and it's likely that these figures—which only account for people who officially signed up on the Veganuary website—represent just a fraction of all those who took part without signing up.

Veganuary is a campaign which encourages people to try veganism in January. The Veganuary charity, a UK-based non-profit behind the campaign, counts Deborah Meaden, Joaquin Phoenix and Chris Packham among its ambassadors.

In a paper we published last year, we highlighted Veganuary as the most well-known and participated-in meat-free challenge. More than three quarters of British people have heard of Veganuary.

One in 10 have considered taking part, and 6% claim to have taken part. That equates to around four million people—significantly more than the official participation numbers.

So why has Veganuary succeeded where so many other efforts to curb our problematic meat consumption have failed? There are two reasons, as outlined in our recent study.

First, Veganuary invites people to try a vegan diet at a time of year when people are often open to trying healthy new habits. Capitalizing on an annual time of change can help to overcome any inertia that normally prevents people trying vegan diets.