97% of Pet Owners Say Their Animals are Part of the Family, Survey Shows; About Half of U.S. Pet Owners Say Their Pets are as Much a Part of Their Family as a Human Member

97% of pet owners say their animals are part of the family, survey shows:

They’re one big happy — and furry — family

Nearly all pet owners, 97 percent to be exact, say their pets are part of their family, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center.

Andmore than half — 51 percent — even consider their animals as much a part of the family as their human relatives.

The groups that were found more likely to feel this way were women, people with lower family incomes and urban dwellers, according to the research.

A pet owner’s marital status was also found to affect the results.

Those who are married and are parents (to children) tend to not regard their pets as human family members, whereas unmarried pet owners and those without kids living at home do.

Demographics such as age, race or ethnicity, on the other hand, did not have any consistent bearing on the results. —>READ MORE HERE

About half of U.S. pet owners say their pets are as much a part of their family as a human member:

Families come in all shapes and sizes. And for a majority of Americans, family includes their pets.

Most Americans (62%) own a pet, including about a third (35%) who have more than one. And nearly all U.S. pet owners (97%) say their pets are part of their family, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

About half of pet owners (51%) not only consider their pets to be a part of their family but say they are as much a part of their family as a human member. Groups that are more likely to say this include:

• Women: 57% of women pet owners say their pets are just as much a part of their family as a human member, compared with 43% of men who own pets. 

• People with lower family incomes: 64% of pet owners in this group consider their pets to be as much a part of their family as a human member, compared with 46% of those with middle incomes and 43% of those with higher incomes. 

• People living in urban areas: 61% of pet owners in urban areas say their pets are as much a part of their family as a human member, compared with 50% of those in rural areas and 47% of those in the suburbs.

The share of pet owners who think of their pets as part of their family as much as a human member doesn’t vary notably by age, race or ethnicity.

Pet owners’ family situation is also related to how they think about their pets. Unmarried pet owners and those who do not have children younger than 18 at home are the most likely to consider their pets to be as much a part of their family as a human member. —>READ MORE HERE

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