Home / Weak arguments / Exaggeration or attack
"Each vegan saves 200 animals a year."
They claim more than the evidence supports, or attack people instead of discussing what they do.
Why it is weak
The number looks precise, but it's a simple division: total animals killed divided by the number of people. It ignores that production doesn't fall in the same proportion as demand, because prices drop and others buy part of what was not bought.
The figures in circulation vary widely depending on whether fish and small animals are counted, and anyone who asks "where does that come from?" finds little basis.
How to say it better
Each purchase has a real average effect on production, less than one animal per animal not bought, but more than zero. Over a lifetime of thousands of meals, that adds up to many animals.