Mars Incorporated has released the findings of what it claims to be the world’s largest study of pet owners and announced the creation of an international event to promote adoption across the world.
With insights from over 20,000 dog and cat owners across 20 countries, the Mars Global Pet Parent Study shows the significant influence of pets on people’s lives and delves into the evolving needs of owners, including generational differences.
The study found that more than half (56%) of people surveyed across the 20 countries are pet parents, with nearly half of these (47%) of these first-time owners. One of the key findings of the report is confirmation that owners are clearly devoted to their pets, with more than one-third (37%) of dog and cat owners considering their pets the most important thing in their lives. This percentage is even higher amongst the younger age groupings of Generation Z (45%) and Millennials (40%).
The most commonly owned global dog breeds are Labrador (6%), Chihuahua (6%), and Golden Retriever (5%), and the most commonly owned global cat breeds are Persian (16%), British Shorthair (11%), and Siamese (9%). The study also indicates that cat ownership is more common than dog ownership globally, with more men (52% male vs 48% female) being cat owners.
Ikdeep Singh, global president of Mars Pet Nutrition, said: “Almost half (47%) of those surveyed are first-time owners, signalling a new era of pet parents. We know that pet parents are evolving, and we need to evolve with them, which means embedding pet parent centricity into our DNA to transform the experience and build lifelong relationships with the 455 million pets and pet parents we reach.”
In 2923, around 60% of the sales generated by the entire Mars organisation came from its pet care division, which includes the Pedigree, Iams and Royal Canin brands.
Singh continued: “As the world’s leading pet care company, we’re always working on the next big thing in pet parenting, using the insights from this study to continuously innovate and adapt to solve pet parent pain points. Pet parents aren’t born – they become, which is why we must ensure they have the advice, guidance and support they need along every step of their journey.”
The study has been launched in tandem with the first ever global Mars Pet Adoption Weekend, which will take place in 12 countries across Europe, Asia, South America and North America to encourage more adoptions across the world.
Mars Pet Adoption Weekend will support pet adoption worldwide through various activities including financial contributions to shelters, adoption events, volunteer activities and other awareness-raising events on one of two selected weekends in October in Brazil, Canada, China, France, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, The Philippines, the UK and the US.
Singh added: “With an estimated 362 million homeless cats and dogs globally, it’s our job to find innovative ways to remove barriers to pet adoption, connecting with pet parents at the start of pet parenthood so they can find a perfect four-legged companion that will bring love and joy to their daily lives.
“As we launch our first-ever global Pet Adoption Weekend, we reaffirm our commitment to our purpose: A Better World for Pets – a mission that has been at the heart of Mars for nearly 90 years.”
