Comparative characteristics of social approval of the phenomenon of vegetarianism in Russia and the UK

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of the social phenomenon of vegetarianism from a historical, medical and sociological point of view. The purpose of this article is to analyze secondary data from cross-cultural studies in Russia and the UK. The main task was to highlight the main features of the attitude towards vegetarianism in the framework of the "Western" mentality and to study the perception of the phenomenon of vegetarianism in the minds of Russians, to compare the data obtained. To accomplish the set tasks, the analysis of theoretical material on the topic of vegetarianism as a phenomenon of modern society, its main types, specificity as a system of sociocultural patterns was carried out. In the course of an empirical analysis of intercountry trends in the field of attitudes towards vegetarianism, the following points were recorded using the example of two countries. The proportion of people on a vegetarian or vegan diet is higher in the UK. However, both in Russia and in the UK, 10–15% of respondents were found who could try this type of diet and stick to it for about a month. In Russia, personal well-being and health is more often the argument in favor of a vegetarian diet, while in the UK people are more interested in protecting the environment.