The aim of this paper is to examine the factors associated with
the belief that vegetarian diets provide health benefits. A
random population mail survey about food choice was conducted
among a sample of 1000 South Australians. An additional (non-
random) survey of 106 vegetarians and semi-vegetarians was also
conducted, giving a total of 707 participants from both samples.
The main predictors of the belief that vegetarian diets provide
health benefits for all respondents were found to be the belief
that meat is neither healthy nor necessary and frequent
searching for information on healthy eating. However, there were
differences between vegetarians, non-vegetarians and semi-
vegetarians. In particular, health issues were relatively more
important for semi-vegetarians and vegetarians, while knowledge
and convenience issues were most important for non-vegetarians.
The results have important implications for public health. Many
South Australians perceive that health benefits are associated
with eating a vegetaria