A society where both people and pets are happy. [27]Latest Survey on Pet Owners: Data Edition
Think Pet Project has been conducting dog pet owner cluster surveys for some time.
This column has previously introduced six cluster patterns. In fact, we conducted another survey this past March to understand the latest owner realities.
Aiming to capture the changing pet-raising environment and shifts in owner awareness in recent years, we surveyed dog owners (2,250 SS) across Tokyo, two prefectures, and five prefectures.
This column presents some of the key findings from the survey results.
1) Regarding Living Environments
While this survey was not limited to indoor-only dogs, 90.4% of respondents indicated indoor housing, highlighting the high rate of indoor housing among owners in the metropolitan area.
While the percentage varies slightly nationwide, this figure is understandable given that approximately 90% of dogs in the metropolitan area are small breeds.
2) Reasons for getting a dog
The overwhelmingly most common reason for getting a dog, unsurprisingly, was "Because I like dogs" at 73.9%. Other reasons included "Because my child or family wanted one" at 28.0%, "Because I wanted comfort" at 16.9%, and "Because a previous pet had died" at 16.3%.
A notable reason gaining attention this time was "I thought it would be good for my child's emotional development" (7.2%). While 7.2% is not a particularly high figure, it represents a new trend emerging in recent years as a reason for pet ownership.
3) What People Seek in Pets
Ranking the main reasons people seek from their pets, the top five were as follows.
Overall, there is a clear tendency toward emotional support and comfort, indicating that the mental stability gained from owning a pet is highly valued.
4) Training Practices
When asked how they train their own dogs, regardless of effectiveness, the most common responses were "Trained myself at home or elsewhere" (86.0%) and "Family members trained at home or elsewhere" (48.0%). Both indicate self-training at home.
The number of owners using "training by a trainer or external service"—a service whose growth has been particularly noticeable in recent years—remains low, with only 2.8% "leaving their dog with a trainer" and 10.0% "leaving their dog at/attending a training class."
However, 7.0% also responded that they "attended training consultation sessions or seminars," indicating a growing trend toward seeking external specialized training services.
5) Blogging and SNS Posting
In this survey, 17.2% responded that they "post and share topics about their pets on blogs or SNS."
While this represents about 20% of the total, it shows that not everyone is actively sharing content—beyond just taking photos of their pets—on SNS or blogs.
Furthermore, the content shared by those who do post is primarily: 47.3% "daily events involving their pet," 15.6% "pet food information," and 14.2% "animal hospital/veterinarian information." This reveals a tendency to use SNS and blogs for sharing information with their connected networks.
While Think Pet Project is conducting various analyses not only based on these results but also in conjunction with the new pet owner cluster concept to be introduced next time, even looking solely at the results presented here, we can see signs of change emerging in the nature of pet ownership.
Based on these findings, next time we will introduce the new pet owner clusters revealed by our latest survey.
Was this article helpful?
Share this article
Newsletter registration is here
We select and publish important news every day
For inquiries about this article
Back Numbers
Author
Rei Nagi
Dentsu Inc.
Currently active as a member of the "Think Pet Project," a project aimed at developing solutions for the pet industry. Also serves as a researcher for Dentsu Inc.'s Youth Research Department (Dentsu Wakamon), promoting relationship building and development with students. Engaged in diverse areas of work, from project management to concept and strategy planning, product development, space development, and new business development. Co-author of "The Youth Divide: Dentsu Inc.'s Communication Strategies for the Future" (MDN Corporation, 2016).
Everything About WakamonA society where both people and pets are happy.The Reality of Being 18If you understand young people, you can see the future ~ Commemorative Series for the Release of "The Youth Divide" ~Get the U-turn candidates moving!"Flat Management"—What Management Thinking Do Future Leaders Need?
