Much of the attention around “pandemic pets” has focused on families with children having a cat, dog or other pet in 2020, at a time when many people were learning or working from home.
But a new poll shows that older adults got into the trend.
According to the National Vote on Healthy Aging, 10% of people aged 50 to 80 received a new pet between March 2020 and January 2021.
The percentage was indeed higher – 16% – among those in this age range who have at least one child or teenager living with them. But most people aged 50 to 80 do not live with someone under the age of 18 – and nearly 9% had a pet at the time of the pandemic.
All said, 59% of people aged 50 to 80 who completed the poll in January 2021 are pet owners. Among those who said in January that they are pet owners, 17% had had at least one pet since the outbreak began. The account did not ask if this was their first pet or an additional pet.
Pet ownership was higher among those aged 50 to 64, women, white respondents and those living in single-family or employed households. Twelve per cent of employed older adults said they had had a pet since March 2020.
The poll is based at the University of Michigan Institute of Healthcare Policy and Innovation and is supported by AARP and Michigan Medicine, UM’s academic medical center.
The new data is an update to a previous report by the polling team, published in April 2019. That overall report showed that older adults say a pet helps them enjoy life, reduce stress, awareness on purpose, and adhering to routines, as well as connecting with others and being physically active, especially for dog owners. Among older adults living alone or in poor or poor health at the time of the 2019 poll, nearly three-quarters said the pet was helping them deal with it. physical or emotional symptoms.
Of those living alone, the percentage with a pet jumped 12 points between the sample reported in 2019 and the sample in January 2021. The place of pets as companions for older adults living alone important, especially at the time of the pandemic when many older adults stayed home because of the higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 if they contracted the coronavirus.
Polling director Preeti Malani, MD, has personal experience of getting a “pandemic puppy” to join her family, which involves a high school student studying at home. This is the first time they have some kind of pet.
Malani notes, on the one hand, that her family’s new dog has demanded more attention than they would have expected – especially as she and her husband are busy doctors working both at a distance and face to face with patients. But on the other hand, walking, playing and chewing with the dog has been a welcome attraction at difficult times.
Sully has been a great addition. He makes sure we get out every day. I have also met several other dog owners in the neighborhood. “
Preeti Malani, MD, Director of Polling
The closest animal shelter to the University of Michigan, the Huron Valley Humane Society, has experienced higher adoption rates in the past year, said Wendy Welch, director of communications.
“We are thrilled to see not only deserving animals get homes, but also to see people getting unconditional love that is sorely needed as well,” she said. grandparents have separated from chewing their grandchildren, furry friends have been okay to suck. It is well documented that pets can help lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety and promote symptoms of depression. And especially interesting through this remote pandemic, companion. animals certainly stop the silent killing: loneliness. We are so grateful to the older adults who have opened their hearts and homes to shelter animals at this time. “
The selection data from January comes from a sample of 2,019 people, similar in size to the sample reported in the previous pet report.
Source:
Michigan Medicine – University of Michigan