Why does Finland not have a lot of vegans?

So i watched this and a few other clips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNco4dayC1M that basically show Fins are taught critical thinking skills, to challenge information, spot fake news etc;

I am American but i am very very logical and i am a critical thinker who goes by logic rather than emotion, i went vegan instantly when i came across a few memes and articles, it was a simple choice, i was an animal abuser and since i am not a bad dude i stopped and i dont think most people want to be known as animal abusers so they convince themselves they arent, figured would the Fins it would be different

The last interviewee said Fins have this saying: You have the right to your own opinion but not the right to your own facts

So i googled Finland and vegan and it basically said its 2%, to me that is surprising if the Fins are such great critical thinkers, i would think they have less cognitive dissonance and they would not fall for the animal agriculture propaganda about how veganism will make you sick lol, i guess perhaps they just dont care, they are very smart and thats it, they dont have empathy or respect for animal life

Only 2%? I’ve been to Finland and was amazed over the vast amount of different vegan products in the grocery stores.

2% is still a lot, that’s more than most European countries.

Also, I am not sure that reason is the main driver of veganism, I would say it is rather emotion. A lot of people become vegan after seeing horrific videos of the reality of the animal products industry. They channel their shock, their disgust, their empathy towards animals to veganism.

On the contrary, most non-vegans have some empathy towards animals but will reason these feelings away. They will mention the natural order, nutrition studies, the economic impact, cultural significance, etc. They will mute their emotional response by what they consider logic. Most “smart” people of this earth are not vegans, and veganism is actually more prevalent in lower and middle classes who might not have had formal university education but who have experienced injustice and oppression and can project that onto animals.

Alright, so to start, there are a ton of vegan options available. We essentially mandated vegan options for every brand and restaurant. Here too, we have developed a plethora of innovative plant-based protein substitutes.

Simply put, we don’t give a damn about animals. I do believe that an older Finn understands the benefits of becoming a vegetarian. Though I know a lot of younger vegans here, veganism is kind of a tough sell to the elder generations.

However, we simply don’t give a damn about the misery of the animals. However, we no longer raise animals for fur.

It is also necessary to take into account the nation’s climate, which has historically influenced their food habits. According to the last seven-country survey, Finnish individuals consumed the highest average amount of saturated fat per person—and it wasn’t from coconut oil. Although it’s difficult to change so quickly, many people have adopted a vegan diet.

With 5.5 million people living in Finland (two million of them are concentrated in four regions: Turku, Tampere, Vassa, and Helsinki), there are about 40k vegans in Finland (or about 110k nationwide). An really poor Google search reveals that Oregon has less vegans per million people, compared to Los Angeles’ 40 million. They’re definitely up there. Even ten years ago, Happy Cow offered a plethora of options when it came to traveling to Helsinki (finally, I’m trying!).

First of all, no logical people will actually call them self very very very logical.

Climate, culture and history. Not much vegan food was available during the long winters historically and eating habits are cultural and related to the environment. But times have changed. Now we have year long availability of so much produce. Change takes time

The image that is given to the outside world about the state of Finnish education and the general populations level of “critical thinking” is not entirely accurate. We arent a population of geniouses over here. We have a fairly large amount of population that is right wing and supports similar stuff as trump and other right wing politicians. These are generally older people but young also.

Most people dont think about it and have never spent any time thinking about it. So if you speak to non vegans you will get the same objections and arguments that you get anywhere else, the same “humans need meat, meat is good, but choose though, circle of life, food chain, animals kill each other in the wild, animals here are taken care off and dont suffer in farms, I just dont care even though I know it is wrong etc. etc.”

I am 31 and when I was in school I dont remember any emphasis actually being given to “independent rational thinking” or spotting fake information or to challenge information.

People are people, no matter how logical, and we live in societies that do their absolute best to force people into animal consumption and prioritizing nothing but themselves

Seeing the intelligent answers from Finns is fascinating.

Finland is a beautifully lovely country, as I discovered when I went. Being in a bustling metropolis with thousands of silent individuals was a little disorienting. It seems to be a typical Finnish practice not to talk while walking, however I’m not sure if that’s true.

Since moose and reindeer are common in that region of the world, it makes sense that they would be included in the food.