A Review Of Companion Animal Guardian Attitudes: The Human-Animal Bond
For anyone that lives with a companion animal or does advocacy related to companion animals, we know how close the bond between humans and non-humans can be. Knowing the way that people relate to their companion animals is vital for advocacy as well, because it allows us to tailor our efforts to appeal to them practically and emotionally. This study, conducted as a partnership between the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and the Cohen Research Group, surveyed 2000 people living with companion animals; according to them, this is “the first survey of its kind to explore how pet owners’ [sic] knowledge of the health benefits of the human-animal bond impacts pet care and welfare.” In addition to looking at this nexus between human and companion animal health, the survey also looked for generational differences in responses.
The survey results offer a great deal to be hopeful about: 88% of people are aware that research shows companion animals reduce stress, 86% are aware that companion animals can reduce depression and 84% know they can reduce anxiety. Moreover, a majority of respondents even know that companion animals can help with PTSD, healthy aging, and heart health. However, amongst this, the survey also found that only 32% of people with companion animals were aware that companions may help prevent childhood allergies. It’s something that we’ve even covered here at Faunalytics.
Another encouraging aspect of the survey, however, is that a large majority of the people surveyed have personal experience with the health benefits of living with a companion animal. What’s more, researchers found that the more people learn about scientific research about “benefits of the human-animal bond,” the more likely they are to take action to improve companion animal health. Once they were educated about research related to the health benefits, 92% of people said they were “more likely to maintain their companion’s health, including keeping up with vaccines and preventative medicine,” 89% said they are more likely to take them for regular checkups, and 88% are more likely to provide them with high-quality nutrition.
Some animal advocates may balk at the study, as it seems to frame our care for our companions as being very closely related to our own benefit. While that may seem like the case from the way the issues are framed above, it’s worth noting that 98% of people said their companion animal was an important part of their family, and 95% said they could not imagine giving them up for any reason. In other words, people living with companion animals value them on levels that are far beyond utilitarian. With the data above related to health benefits, companion animal advocates could make a strong case for new adoptions, and once companions were in their homes, realize how amazing they are in so many other ways, and wonder how they ever lived without them.
https://habri.org/2016-pet-owners-survey