A better world: Most Americans say their pets are family as much as a human

There’s just too much craziness packed into the news these days. The government is lying to us about one thing after another, boys are being convinced that they can turn into girls or vice versa, and most of the polls we cover here make it feel like people are losing their minds. But it’s Sunday evening and we should all be treated to something a little more “normal,” whatever that means in 2023. So how about pets? Here’s a different sort of poll from Pew Research. They surveyed United States families that have pets to see how they feel about their furry friends. And the results were rather heartwarming. Pretty much everyone views their pets as part of their family, and a majority of them say that their pets are every bit as much a part of the family as the humans in the house.

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to learn more about how Americans view pet ownership in the U.S. and how they think of their own pets. We surveyed 5,073 U.S. adults, including 2,963 pet owners, from April 10 to 16, 2023. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses…

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.

My wife has a shirt she is fond of wearing that says, “I prefer dogs to people.” I tend to agree, but then again, we were not blessed with children so we don’t have to make that sort of comparison. But dogs are far more trustworthy and loyal than almost any people you’ll meet. Cats are great too, though they can act a bit standoffish at times. We have always had both for more than thirty years and all but one came from animal shelters where we have volunteered. (Our most recent cat was born under our neighbor’s shed and we trapped him and wound up keeping him.)

Getting back to the poll, there were at least some differences between different demographic groups in terms of the level of belief that pets are every bit as much a part of the family as the humans who care for them. Women were far more likely than men to feel that way. (57 to 43 percent.) Insert your own “cat lady” joke here. Lower-income families were substantially more likely to hold this opinion, with 64% agreeing. The wealthiest were the least likely, at 43%.

In one of the more curious twists, population density seemed to impact people’s answers. Those living in cities were far and away the most likely to feel this way, at 61 percent. People in suburban and rural areas were less likely, coming in at 47 and 50 percent respectively. I would have assumed city dwellers to tend in the opposite direction, but perhaps many people living in cities are simply lonelier.

Among the least likely people to express this opinion were parents, at 42%. I suppose that makes sense. If you have children and are asked a question like this, you’re probably not very likely to say that an animal has the same value as your offspring. Dog owners were five points ahead of cat owners in holding this sentiment. That probably goes back to the whole “standoffish” thing I mentioned.

The truly good news is that even among the people who didn’t say that their pets were family members to the same degree as a human, they still loved the pets and thought of them as part of the family. Just not quite as much of a part of the family as their partners and children. So when you finish reading this, go give your dog a hug for me. If you only have a cat (or cats) you might want to settle for a scratch behind the ear. They don’t always react well to hugs in my experience.