Turns out our chosen family extends far beyond our favorite people, and the numbers don’t lie. According to a recent Harris Poll study of 2,000 Americans, Gen Z spends $6103 annually on their pets leading millennials who spend $51503—suggesting that our fur babies are more than just our pets, they’re family.
This tracks with our survey that also reports that 75% of pet owners admit that purchasing healthy food for their pet makes them feel at least one positive emotion we listed whether it’s happy, confident, and/or excited. In fact, among the 829 Gen Z pet owners we polled, 70% of them noted that pets had a positive effect on their mental health.
But get this: we love pets so much that 43% of Americans actually prefer having pets over children, with many Gen Z and millennials noting that pets are easier to care for and come with fewer financial burdens. While this preference is still emerging, we predict that pet parenthood will be even more prevalent in 2025. As we see an increase in pet-friendly establishments to workplace benefits like ‘pawternity’ leave, pet care may as well become a new chapter of self-care.
