Executive summary: The author argues that animal activism has extremely low participation rates because it is boring, socially costly, and poorly structured to provide fun, meaning, or connection, and that the movement could grow dramatically by redesigning itself to better meet activists’ psychological and social needs.
Key points:
In Seattle, roughly 0.1% of vegetarians and vegans (about 150 out of 118,000) participate in regular or semi-regular activism, compared to much higher participation rates in movements like BLM, climate protests, and general protest activity.
Animal activism is often experienced as boring, demanding, and socially unrewarding, with little intrinsic enjoyment and few extrinsic benefits compared to other movements.
The movement primarily retains people with strong moral conviction, which can create an intense or exclusionary culture that alienates those not fully committed.
Small community size creates a negative feedback loop, as limited social benefits and visibility make recruitment harder and reduce the appeal of participation.
The author suggests incorporating more “fun” elements into activism, while acknowledging that fun cannot be forced and may conflict with the costly signaling that makes some tactics effective.
The author argues that activists should cultivate more tangible meaning through symbolism and ritual, and strengthen social connection through better events and community-building, so the movement gives back to participants rather than only asking more of them.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, andcontact us if you have feedback.
Executive summary: The author argues that animal activism has extremely low participation rates because it is boring, socially costly, and poorly structured to provide fun, meaning, or connection, and that the movement could grow dramatically by redesigning itself to better meet activists’ psychological and social needs.
Key points:
In Seattle, roughly 0.1% of vegetarians and vegans (about 150 out of 118,000) participate in regular or semi-regular activism, compared to much higher participation rates in movements like BLM, climate protests, and general protest activity.
Animal activism is often experienced as boring, demanding, and socially unrewarding, with little intrinsic enjoyment and few extrinsic benefits compared to other movements.
The movement primarily retains people with strong moral conviction, which can create an intense or exclusionary culture that alienates those not fully committed.
Small community size creates a negative feedback loop, as limited social benefits and visibility make recruitment harder and reduce the appeal of participation.
The author suggests incorporating more “fun” elements into activism, while acknowledging that fun cannot be forced and may conflict with the costly signaling that makes some tactics effective.
The author argues that activists should cultivate more tangible meaning through symbolism and ritual, and strengthen social connection through better events and community-building, so the movement gives back to participants rather than only asking more of them.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.