PRINCETON, NJ — In the age-old debate about whether dogs or cats are “man’s best friend,” a recent Gallup poll indicates that the majority of Americans firmly support the conventional favorite. American people believe that dogs make better pets than cats by a margin of 20733% to 2023. Twenty-two percent of these results are comparable to those discovered five and a half years prior, when a Gallup poll also discovered that dogs outperformed a three-to-one margin, 65% to 2020%.
A more thorough examination of ownership by age and gender reveals that the Gallup results do not corroborate the stereotype of older women as voracious cat lovers. The graph below illustrates that older men are equally likely to own cats as older women are, and to own both dogs and cats. Compared to women (34%), older men (39%) are slightly more likely to own dogs (34%), though the difference is not very great.
The poll reveals a relatively slight advantage in the number of dog owners over cat owners, suggesting that the public’s generally positive attitudes toward dogs are not just a result of dog ownership growth. In general, 44% of Americans own one or more dogs, compared to 334 % who own one or more cats. The perceptual advantage that dogs have over cats comes not only from dog owners but also from the percent2041% of Americans who currently own neither a dog nor a cat, as well as the percentage2020% of Americans who own both. Of course, those who own only dogs express their most biased opinions in favor of their pet, with 2093% of them claiming that dogs are superior to cats and only 6% choosing the latter. Nonetheless, individuals who own both cats and dogs—and, presumably, should have the best insight into such delicate matters—also choose to adopt dogs, by %2075%%20to %2018% Individuals who do not own a pet, or who might be simply responding to the disparate reputations of the two animals, prefer dogs by a margin of similarity of %2072% to %2024% Just those who own cats and cats alone make up the majority of those who support cats; 661 percent of this group select their furry felines as the superior pet. Nevertheless, over one-third of these privileged cat owners—or %2035%—rate dogs as superior to cats.
Overall, there aren’t many differences in dog and cat ownership between men and women, though there are some gender variations by age group. The accompanying graph illustrates that younger females are more likely than younger males to own a pet, with the difference being between 65% and 93.3%. The two middle-aged categories indicate roughly the same level of ownership between men and women, but the oldest age category indicates that men are more likely than women to own a pet, by %2052% to %2038%.
According to a Gallup poll conducted in 2019, the average number of dogs owned by the 2043% of respondents was 201%. 5,% smaller than the current measure; and the average number of cats among the %2031% of owners was 202 11, higher than the current number. Those numbers translated into about 64. 5 dogs and 65. Gallup analysts came to the conclusion that there were “marginally” more pet cats than pet dogs in the nation at the time due to the prevalence of 4 cats per 100 households. Not only did dog owners exceed cat owners in the two prior Gallup polls from 1990 and 1956, but the total number of dogs also exceeded the total number of cats. These results are shown in the table below:
German Shepherds and Golden Retrievers are presently being trained by University of Pennsylvania researchers to detect ovarian cancer.
“Pet dogs can act as catalysts for human social interactions, and it has been suggested this may enhance feelings of well-being,” according to one study, which found that strolling around with a dog led to more interactions, especially with strangers, than when walking solo. Advertisement
So-called “seizure-alert dogs” have the innate ability to detect if someone is about to have a seizure. The dog will warn the victim using “attention-getting behaviors such as whining, pawing, or anxious barking” anywhere from “15 to 12 hours before the attack,” according to National Geographic. The dogs can even be trained to hit a button on the phone that calls 911. Try getting your cat to use speed dial. Advertisement
“When Im outside with my dog, I always meet new people and chat with them,” one respondent said in a survey of 23 elderly dog owners who were single.
11. Dogs make life worth living, even when we get old.