Using sources from the answer to this question : Surveys do apparently exist that support Brian Kateman's contention that about 2/3 of Americans who consider themselves vegetarian have recently consumed meat. However, there are a couple of caveats. From a 2011 article titled " Why Are There So Few Vegetarians? " (with the subtitle, "Most "vegetarians" eat meat. Huh?"): Take a 2002 Times/CNN poll on the eating habits of 10,000 Americans. Six percent of the individuals surveyed said they considered themselves vegetarian. But when asked by the pollsters what they had eaten in the last 24 hours, 60% of the self-described "vegetarians" admitted that that had consumed red meat, poultry or fish the previous day. In another survey (link is external), the United States Department of Agriculture randomly telephoned 13,313 Americans. Three percent of the respondents answered yes to the question, "D