GLBT Adults More Likely to Own a Pet than Heterosexuals
December 17, 2007
ROCHESTER, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Seven out of ten (71%) GLBT adults today say that they own pets, compared with 63 percent of heterosexual adults, according to the results of a new national survey. The same survey also shows that nine in ten (90%) GLBT pet owners say their pet is a member of their family and 64 percent also add that they have bought their pet a holiday present.
The new nationwide survey of 2,455 U.S. adults, (ages 18 and over), of whom more than 6 percent, or 158, self identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, was conducted online between November 7 and 13, 2007, by Harris Interactive®, a global market research and consulting firm, in conjunction with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm with special expertise in the GLBT market.
“Americans have well deserved reputations as animal lovers and pet owners, and our latest findings underscore that GLBT Americans are among the most avid,” said Wesley Combs, President of Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc. “Moreover, the holiday season reminds us of those closest to us, including our devotion to our pets. Smart marketers will recognize that gay households truly are trend-setters in animal ownership and loving care.”
Combs added, “Anyone who knows me and my partner Greg also knows that our Wheaten Terrier Chester is a big part of our family.”
The poll also reports that GLBT pet owners are somewhat more likely than heterosexuals to own a cat. Of the GLBT pet owners, 63 percent said they owned a cat compared to a little more than half (52%) of the heterosexual pet owners. The inverse was found in dog ownership. About seven out of ten (71%) of heterosexual pet owners said they owned a dog compared to 63 percent of GLBT pet owners.
When asked “Do you currently have a pet?” 71% of GLBT Americans responded yes while only 63% of heterosexual Americans said yes.
When it came time to ask what sort of pets each pet owner owned the breakdowns were as follows: (type/GLBT/Heterosexual)
- Dog 63% / 71%
- Cat 63% / 52%
- Fish 14% / 15%
- Bird 5% / 7%
- Other 20% / 12%
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.
When the question of “Do you consider your pet to be a member of your family?” came up the results were near identical with each group saying yes about 90% of the time. The same results were seen when respondents were asked “How often have you done the following - bought your pet a holiday present?” with both groups in the 64% range for giving gifts to their pets.
Methodology
Harris Interactive® conducted the study online within the United States between November 7 and 13, 2007, among 2,455 adults (ages 18 and over), of whom 2,251 indicated they are heterosexual and 158 self-identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. In addition, the results for the gay and lesbian sample were weighted separately based on profiles of the gay and lesbian population that Harris Interactive has compiled through many different online surveys. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
Written by Steve D · Filed Under Weird
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