Browsing by Author "Liuska, Lotta"

Objectives. This bachelor’s thesis examines the relationship between a vegetarian diet and social relationships in the everyday lives of young adults. Vegetarian, or more specifically, vegan diet, has become increasingly popular in Finland over the past years. However, its impact on social relationships has not been thoroughly examined. The aim of this research is to gather young adults’ experiences on how following a vegan diet has affected their relationships with family, friends, and romantic partners. The study has specific emphasis on situations where a shared diet has connected people. Methods. A qualitative study was carried out to measure how peoples’ relationships were affected by their vegan diet. The chosen method for this study was a focus group. Three people between the ages of 20 and 21 participated in the focus group. The interview was recorded and then transcribed word for word. The ten-page transcription was analysed by utilizing content analysis method. Conclusions. The overall attitude towards a vegetarian diet was found to be positive and encouraging. Increasing knowledge on vegetarian diet and its growing popularity were said to be the source of the positive attitude. The participants reported that a vegetarian diet had caused conflicts in their relationship with their family, if the family did not understand the participants’ diet or failed to take it into consideration. A vegetarian diet was found to be a connective aspect in both friendships and romantic relationships when others were either interested in or following a similar diet. Overall, vegetarian diet was perceived as a part of normal and flowing everyday life. The main limitation of this study is the small sample size, which may skew the results. Further research on this topic ought to expand the sample size by selecting participants from areas of Finland and backgrounds.