Why Do So Many "Vegetarians" Umm...Lie About Their Diets?

If there are so few true vegetarians, what about all those books that
claim we are in the midst of a dietary revolution? Don't believe them.
The reason for the widespread but mistaken belief that America is
rapidly going veg is the mismatch between what people say they eat and
what they actually eat. Take a 2002 Times/CNN poll on the eating habits
of 10,000 Americans. Six percent of the individuals surveyed said they
considered themselves vegetarian. But when asked by the pollsters what
they had eaten in the last 24 hours, 60% of the self-described
"vegetarians" admitted that that had consumed red meat, poultry or fish
the previous day. In another survey, the United States Department of
Agriculture randomly telephoned 13,313 Americans. Three percent of the
respondents answered yes to the question, "Do you consider yourself to
be a vegetarian?" A week later the researchers called the participants
again and this time asked what they had eaten the day before. The
results were even more dramatic than the Times/CNN survey: this time 66%
of the "vegetarians" had eaten animal flesh in the last 24 hours.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...ew-vegetarians