Nearly half of Gen Z say they would eat lab grown meat products, much higher than older generations

New research from Ipsos in the UK reveals that nearly half (47%) of Generation Z Brits say they would eat cultivated– otherwise known as ‘lab grown’ - meat products. Younger people are much more likely than older generations to say they would personally eat cultivated meat, with just one in five (21%) of Baby Boomers saying they would do so.

With a limited understanding of lab grown meat products (58% say they either know nothing or have never heard about cultivated meat), there is a “genuine potential growth market for cultivated meat in Britain”.

Key findings

• Younger generations are more open to eating cultivated meat: Nearly half (47%) of Generation Z Brits say they would eat cultured – otherwise known as ‘lab grown’ meat products – compared to 39% of Millennials, 22% of Gen X and 21% of Baby Boomers.
• Limited understanding of cultivated meat among wider public: More than half of British adults (58%) say they know nothing about cultivated meat, with 33% saying they had never heard of it, with opportunities for producers to “shape perceptions”.
• Main benefit of cultivated meat seen as not involving slaughtering animals: One third (33%) choose not killing animals as main perceived benefit, followed by more environmentally friendly (21%), reducing risk of diseases from animals to humans (20%), requires less land (19%) and emits fewer greenhouse gases compared to conventional livestock farming (19%).

• But consumers do see some significant downsides: Long-term health impacts of consumption being unclear (48%) and cultivated meat being an unnatural food source (42%) are biggest perceived downsides, followed by it being expensive to produce currently (25%).

Commenting on the findings, Peter Cooper, Director Global Omnibus Services at Ipsos, says:

Our Ipsos Observer UK research suggests there is a genuine potential growth market for cultivated meat in Britain, in particular among younger people. With limited knowledge about cultivated, or ‘lab grown’ meat, there is a chance for producers to shape perceptions before it’s done for them. That being said, consumers do still have some concerns, in particular around the unclear long-term health impacts of cultivated meat. This will need to be addressed for perceived environmental upsides to be realised.

Technical note:

• The research was carried out by Ipsos Observer UK, which can be found https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/solutions/list
• Ipsos Observer interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,098 adults aged 16-75 in Great Britain using its online i:omnibus between 13th – 16th June 2025.
• The sample obtained is representative of the population with quotas on age, gender, region and working status.
• In terms of age ranges for generations: Generation Z – ages 16-29, Millennials – ages 30-45, Generation X – ages 46-59 and Baby Boomers – ages 60-75
• The data has been weighted to the known offline population proportions for age, working status and within gender, and for government office region within age, as well as social grade and education, to reflect the adult population of Great Britain. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.