Just 1 per cent of the nation identifies as vegan, according to the ABC's Australia Talks National Survey, but neither the peak livestock body nor the not-for-profit Vegan Australia organisation are surprised by the number.

Key points: An overwhelming 89 per cent of Australians consider themselves meat eaters

An overwhelming 89 per cent of Australians consider themselves meat eaters Older Australians switch to vegan or vegetarian diets mainly for health reasons

Older Australians switch to vegan or vegetarian diets mainly for health reasons Younger Australians choose not to eat meat primarily for animal welfare concerns

Vegans refuse to eat or use animals in any way, as opposed to vegetarians who may still consume dairy products or eggs, for example, and still wear leather.

Of 25,788 people who responded to the ABC's question, just 3 per cent considered themselves vegetarian and 6 per cent were semi-vegetarian — meaning they might still eat fish or poultry as well.

An overwhelming 89 per cent of the national survey's respondents said they were meat eaters.

Vegan Australia director Greg McFarlane said it was hard to get accurate statistics but a 1 per cent vegan population is what his not-for-profit organisation had estimated as well, although he "thought vegetarians would be a lot higher".

"I think probably what's more important is the amount of vegan food available now," he said.

"If you look at supermarkets there's a huge range and you've got Hungry Jacks selling different kinds of vegan burgers, and Pizza Hut and Domino's sell it, so the demand for vegan food is growing and I don't think anyone can deny that."

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) managing director Jason Strong said the findings confirmed MLA's own research that red meat continued to be the most popular form of protein among Australian consumers.

"MLA consumer research shows, for the past three years, the number of metropolitan people who identify as vegan or vegetarian has remained stable, and that there is even a proportion of this group that occasionally eat meat," he said.

Vegans in the headlines

Vegans have attracted a lot of media and political attention this year, largely as a result of animal rights protests, activists targeting farmers, and a campaign by the Prime Minister to discredit the movement by calling them "green-collared criminals".

Vegans and vegetarians have also been buoyed by published papers suggesting people should reduce the amount of red meat they eat, and that a world focused on producing plant-based food would produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Both concepts have provoked division and argument.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 23 seconds 1 m 23 s Warwick dairy farmers confront animal activists after cattle are released from their property (Facebook)

"I think in the past six months or so, the word vegan is used as if it's a new racial slur a lot of times in the media," Mr McFarlane said.

"Vegans, who believe animals should not be used by humans, are in effect trying to change people's behaviour, and people don't like that.

"Vegetarianism has been around much longer, and I think vegetarianism is often associated with religion, such as Buddhism, so I think it's got the image of being more peaceful."

Motives differ with age

Some 35 per cent of surveyed people who said they refused to use or consume any animal products said animal welfare was their main motive, although health was a close second at 27 per cent, followed by environmental concerns at 21 per cent.

Mr McFarlane said news reports and documentaries that depicted the inhumane or abusive treatment of farm animals had prompted people to rethink their contribution to the industry through their diet.

An exception, however, was in rural areas where the primary reason for keeping a vegan or vegetarian diet was health concerns, followed by animal welfare.

An scene depicting a pig being kicked in the head from the documentary, Dominion. ( Supplied: Dominionmovement.com )

Health was also the driving factor for people 75 years old or above (67 per cent), for those aged between 65 and 74 (49 per cent), but was equal with animal welfare for those aged 50–64 (37 per cent).

Animal welfare was the primary motivation for every survey respondent below 50, except those in the 18–24 bracket where 50 per cent of respondents cited environmentalism.

"That sounds about right," Mr McFarlane said.

"Older people are fixed in their ways. We start to get sick, we look for solutions.

"It's more of a selfish reason, whereas younger people throughout history have always been the leaders of social change."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison spent a week ridiculing vegan protesters ahead of this year's federal election. ( ABC News: Nick Haggarty )

Mr Strong from MLA said there was a strong consumer trend towards health and wellbeing, and there was a preference for natural, quality food from "trusted sources".

"Beef and lamb is extremely well positioned to meet this trend given its importance in a healthy diet and its ability to deliver on a wide range of benefits including taste, texture, versatility, nutrients and variety," he said.

"Red meat is recommended by the Australian Dietary Guidelines as part of a healthy diet because red meat is considered the most important protein source for iron and zinc."

Vegan touts health benefits

Vegan chef Adam Guthrie, a keynote speaker at this weekend's Vegan Festival in Adelaide, had a heart attack at the age of 39 after becoming obese on a vegetarian diet from 21 years old.

Told he would be on medication for the rest of his life, he switched to a wholefood, plant-based diet that "totally transformed" him.

"I was off meds in six months," he said.

Vegan chef Adam Guthrie says a wholefood, plant-based diet helped him shed 35 kilograms. ( Supplied: Adam Guthrie )

He went on to lose 35kg, and four years after his heart attack, had gained enough energy to do "one of the toughest endurance events in the world, the Iron Man triathlon".

Mr Guthrie said his diet differed from that of regular vegans because it was wholefood only and banned any processed foods.

"You can drink Coca Cola and eat Oreos and that's vegan," he said.

"I just eat food the way nature hands it to us."

The qualified chef with a certificate in plant nutrition now teaches other people to eat in a similar way and is approached regularly by retired baby boomers with health issues.

"They're coming for health reasons, more so than for animal rights, ethical or environmental reasons, but when they start to eat this way and become better, their consciousness changes," Mr Guthrie said.

"They start to continue to eat this way because they don't want to cause any pain or suffering to any living beings."

Other key findings:

The percentage of Australians who identified as vegan or vegetarian was similar regardless of political persuasion, incomes, education, place of birth, race, or religion

The percentage of Australians who identified as vegan or vegetarian was similar regardless of political persuasion, incomes, education, place of birth, race, or religion Women (41 per cent) were most likely to become vegan or vegetarian for animal welfare reasons

Women (41 per cent) were most likely to become vegan or vegetarian for animal welfare reasons Men (34 per cent) were more likely to choose a vegan or vegetarian diet for health reasons

Men (34 per cent) were more likely to choose a vegan or vegetarian diet for health reasons Those born in Australia were most likely to become vegan or vegetarian for animal welfare reasons (39 per cent)

Those born in Australia were most likely to become vegan or vegetarian for animal welfare reasons (39 per cent) Those born abroad were most likely to choose the diet for health reasons (33 per cent)

Those born abroad were most likely to choose the diet for health reasons (33 per cent) Those on the lowest incomes chose to become vegetarian or vegans for health reasons (42 per cent) while those on higher incomes cited animal welfare (49 per cent)

The Australia Talks National Survey asked 54,000 Australians about their lives and what keeps them up at night. Use our interactive tool to see the results and how their answers compare with yours.

Then tune in at 8:30pm on November 18, as the ABC hosts a live TV event with some of Australia's best-loved celebrities exploring the key findings of the Australia Talks National Survey.