WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With the exception of their spouse/partner and child, when you ask Americans about their relationships, 40% of pet owners will tell you hands down their pet is the most important relationship in their day-to-day life, according to a survey undertaken by Hart Research Associates and McGinn and Company.

"Pets outrank friends, parents, siblings and co-workers," said Peter D. Hart of Hart Research Associates, who conducted the survey. "Pets are, in many instances, the glue that keeps the household together."

The survey was conducted online with a cross section of 2,330 adults nationwide and also found that a higher percentage of those with pets are happier with their relationships with family and friends than those without a family pet.

"This can be verified by our own observation—most dog owners know the name of their neighbor's dog, but not the name of their neighbor," said Dan McGinn, CEO and founder of McGinn and Company, joint sponsor of the survey.

The corollary to this point is households with pets are less likely to be happy with their financial situation.

"Take a look at the veterinarian bills and that will explain why pet owners are less secure financially than non-pet owners," said Hart.   

Resources:

• Hart Research (Read the complete survey and overview)
• McGinn and Company

Background:

The survey was conducted online November 20 to December 1, 2015, among a national sample of 2,330 adults aged 18 and over. The survey included an oversample of 300 Baby Boomers (adults born 1946 to 1964) for a total of 1,054; all age groups were weighted to their proper proportion in the total sample. Respondents for this non-probability survey were selected from a national panel of 2.4 million adults. Data for this survey have been weighted by age, race, sex, education, and region based on Census data to reflect known demographic characteristic of the U.S. adult population. This sample is an opt-in online sample and, as such, a credibility interval is used to index precision rather than a traditional margin of error. The credibility interval for this survey is 2.2 percentage points.

Media Contact:

Kristen McCaughan, kmccaughan@mcginnandcompany.com, 202-276-4961

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SOURCE McGinn and Company

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