This dissertation examines recruitment, persistence, and disengagement within the vegan lifestyle movement, contributing to the growing body of research on lifestyle movements through an exploration of individual patterns and trajectories. Drawing on fifty-five qualitative semi-structured interviews with current and former vegans, I apply social movement frameworks to analyze the roles of pro-vegan media, social ties, and individual-level participation factors across these three phases.Chapter 2 explores the evolving dynamics of recruitment and persistence, emphasizing the influence of pro-vegan media and social ties. Findings reveal that catalytic experiences with media were pivotal for recruitment, however, persistence depended heavily on supportive social ties. Comparisons with former vegans, all of whom lacked strong social ties during their vegan phase, underscore the critical role of these ties in sustaining participation. I also note generational differences among the long-term vegans who were recruited through physical media and existing social ties, while recent vegans often encountered veganism independently through information communication technologies (ICTs).
Chapter 3 focuses on persistence, categorizing current vegans into three groups – Steadfast, Adaptive, and Elastic Veganism – using a novel scoring system that integrates factors such as resources, collective efficacy, collective identity, social ties (positive and negative), and individual challenges. These categories highlight varying levels of commitment and engagement, offering nuanced insights into how vegans navigate their lifestyles. This chapter broadens the understanding of differential participation, providing a micro-theoretical framework for analyzing persistence in both lifestyle and traditional movements.
Chapter 4 addresses disengagement, a largely unexplored area in movement research, with none existing for lifestyle movements. Adapting Corrigall-Brown’s trajectories of participation, I identify three disengagement paths among former vegans using the same scoring system and factors in Chapter 3: Permanent Disengagement, Transfer, and Individual Abeyance. These trajectories reflect differing combinations of positive and detracting influences, shedding light on the complexities of disengagement from lifestyle-based activism.
By bridging recruitment, persistence, and disengagement, this dissertation contributes to social movement literature, highlighting the pivotal roles of ICTs and social ties. It underscores the adaptability of the vegan movement to evolving media landscapes while advancing methodologies for studying lifestyle and traditional movements.
