Americans Are Twice As Likely To Own Dogs Over Cats, Study Finds
Andrea Powell
Are you a cat person or a dog person?
This is the common question Compare the Market AU, pet insurance experts, asked thousands of people in USA, Australia, and Canada to see, "what makes dog and cat people tick."
While there is no wrong answer, there was a clear winner when it comes to pets in these three countries - dogs.
The Results
The study of over 3,000 people found that dogs are the preferred pet over cats and other animals, especially in USA. The results are in and 58.8% of Americans are ‘dog people’, while only 26.9% are ‘cat people’.
The United States has one of the highest rates of dog ownership per household. 55.9% of Americans surveyed stated that they not only prefer dogs but share their home with one.
Cats ranked second with 35.8% of American participants owning a feline. Dogs and cats both bring love, entertainment, and joy to households, so 23.6% surveyed Americans decided to add both to their family.
Only 24.7% claimed they didn't own a pet because they either couldn't afford one or didn't have the time to care for one.
Top Reasons for Owning A Pet
Americans understand that the key to happiness is to have a pet or two. The top three reasons they shared for owning a pet were:
- To keep me company (69.0%)
- To positively contribute to my happiness and mental health (62.0%)
- To please my children (18.8%)
Do women prefer cats?
While dogs were still the overall winner in all countries, the survey found, "women were more likely to be cat people than dog people (29.9% vs 20.7% in Australia, 34.5% vs 29.7% in Canada, and 29.5% vs 24.2% in the USA)."
The more the merrier...
Americans were also more likely to own multiple pets. Most people surveyed owned one or maybe two pets but 7.4% of Americans admitted to owning five or more pets.
See how Australia and Canada ranked here.
The survey revealed another fun fact that, "more men than women in America were looking for a new pet (23.4% of men vs 16.4% of women)".
Pets love unconditionally and are always there when you need a friend. The benefits of owning a dog, cat, or other companion animal are endless. If you are considering adding a furry friend to your family, head to your local shelter and adopt!
Share in the comments if you are a dog person or a cat person and don't forget to include a photo.
