Here are some figures about vegetarians in the United States, I always find it interesting to compare how people think in the different regions of the world. So there are nearly 14% of the population who follow a vegetarian or a mostly meatless diet. Comparing it to the stats from my previous post, it's very similar to Germany, where the "mostly vegetarian diet" group are called Flexitarians.
Source:LiveScience
What often strikes me when I look at such numbers, is the fact that only about one half of the vegetarians have animal welfare and environmental concerns as a main motivation. Judging by the people I know, it should be much higher. But then again, I don't know any American vegetarians, so I cannot speak about their reasons.
A common point here and in Germany is the gender structure: women are responsible for around 60% of the vegetarian group. There's just thе common perception among men that eating meat, if possible a lot of it, is a proof of manhood. Come on, people don't live in caves anymore and men don't have to hunt animals to provide meat. It's funny how some cultural concepts can persist so long.