In a survey by market research firm Ipsos, 47% of Generation Z Brits have stated that they would eat cultivated meat.
Ipsos found that Generation Z (born 1997-2012) were “much more likely” than older generations to say they would eat cultivated meat.
The number of people stating they would consumer cultivated meat decreased as generations increased in age:
- 39% of Millenials (born 1981-1996) would consume cultivated meat
- 22% of Gen X (born 1965-1980) would consume cultivated meat
- 21% of Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) would consumer cultivated meat
Of the total respondents, 33% said “not killing animals” was the main benefit of eating cultivated meat, while 21% believed it was “more environmentally friendly”.
“Reducing risk of diseases from animals to humans” was the reason cited for 20% of respondents, “less land required” was cited by 19% and “emitting fewer greenhouse gases” than conventional livestock farming was cited by another 19%.
Downsides of consuming cultivated meat included:
- Long-term health impacts are unclear (cited by 48%)
- Cultivated meat is an unnatural food source (cited by 42%)
- It is expensive to produce (cited by 25%)
Ipsos said that there was a “genuine potential growth market” for cultivated meat in Britain, as 58% of British adults said they either knew nothing about it or had never heard of it.
Peter Cooper, director global omnibus services at Ipsos, commented: “Our Ipsos Observer UK research suggests there is a genuine potential growth market for cultivated meat in Britain, in particular among younger people. With limited knowledge about cultivated, or ‘lab grown’ meat, there is a chance for producers to shape perceptions before it’s done for them.
“That being said, consumers do still have some concerns, in particular around the unclear long-term health impacts of cultivated meat. This will need to be addressed for perceived environmental upsides to be realised.”
