More revealing (and quite useable) info for our businesses..... Surveys reveal demographic trends in pet ownership Pet ownership in the United States is increasing, particularly among single people. Pet ownership in the United States is at a record high according to the 2013-2014 American Pet Products Association (APPA) National Pet Owners Survey. The Survey indicates that pet ownership among all US households is 68 per cent. This equates to an increase to 82.5 million pet owning households in 2012. “As an industry, we have been working very hard to promote the joys and benefits of responsible pet ownership and we are thrilled to see that more people are opening their homes and sharing their families with pets than ever before,” said APPA President and CEO Bob Vetere. “We believe that key initiatives have contributed to the growth and increasing word-of-mouth including the formation of the Human Animal Bond Research Initiative two years ago, a large national social media campaign called Pets Add Life, school program, Pets in the Classroom and public service ad campaign, The Shelter Pet Project.” Coincident with the increase in overall pet ownership is a comparable gain in the total number of households owning a dog or cat. Dog ownership increased to 56.7 million households, while cat ownership grew to 45.3 million. These gains in dog and cat owning households mean that the total number of these pets has also increased. The current Survey reports a total of 83.3 million dogs and 95.6 million cats in the United States. While the number of households owning a pet has increased in all categories from the last survey, the proportion of ownership by species has remained fairly stable. Dogs and cats are still the most popular species, owned by 46.7 per cent and 37.3 per cent of the US population, respectively. After a decline in 2010, freshwater fish returned to ownership levels previously reported from 2000 to 2008 (12 per cent). The same can be said for bird ownership, which dipped in 2008 and 2010 to five per cent, but is now back up to 5.7 per cent. Horse ownership rebounded in 2012, returning to 2.3 per cent after a slight drop in 2010. Small animal and reptile ownership levels have increased to 5.7 per cent and 4.6 per cent, respectively. Saltwater fish ownership saw an increase as well, at 1.5 per cent of the total (online) US population. An increase in multiple pet owning households also contributed to the overall growth in pet ownership. The Survey reveals that multiple pet ownership is at an all-time high with 44 per cent of pet owning households in the US owning more than one pet. AVMA survey A recent American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) survey shows that single people - both those never married and those recently separated or divorced - are increasingly turning to pets for love and a sense of family. According to AVMA’s U.S. Pet Ownership &Demographics Sourcebook, it’s still more common for a pet to be owned by a family, but pet ownership among single people increased by 16.6 per cent, from 46.9 per cent pet ownership in 2006 to 54.7 per cent in 2011, compared to just 1.37 per cent growth in pet ownership for families, from 65.5 per cent to 66.4 per cent. “It’s interesting to see that more and more single people are discovering the comfort and satisfaction that owning a pet can offer. Pets are powerful, positive influences on our lives, offering unique emotional, psychological and physical health benefits to their owners,” says Dr. Douglas Aspros, president of the AVMA. “Unfortunately, despite these positive trends, people aren’t bringing their pets into the veterinarian as often as they should. That trend is worrisome, not only in terms of the pet’s health but in terms of public health. Families, no matter what size, need to bring their pets into the veterinarian - at least once a year - to maintain optimal health.” The Sourcebook indicates that, between 2006 and 2011, the percentage of households that made no trips at all to the veterinarian increased by 8 per cent for dog owners and 24 per cent for cat owners. Overall, about 81 per cent of dog-owning households made at least one visit to the veterinarian in 2011, down 1.7 per cent from 2006. The decrease for cat owners was, once again, much higher, as only 55.1 per cent of cat owners made at least one visit to the veterinarian in 2011, down 13.5 per cent from 2006. For further information see: U.S. Pet Ownership &Demographics Sourcebook
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 05:40:32 +0000
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