“Families come in all shapes and sizes. And for a majority of Americans, family includes their pets. Most Americans (62%) own a pet, including about a third (35%) who have more than one. And nearly all U.S. pet owners (97%) say their pets are part of their family, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. About half of pet owners (51%) not only consider their pets to be a part of their family but say they are as much a part of their family as a human member. Groups that are more likely to say this include:

• Women: 57% of women pet owners say their pets are just as much a part of their family as a human member, compared with 43% of men who own pets.
• People with lower family incomes: 64% of pet owners in this group consider their pets to be as much a part of their family as a human member, compared with 46% of those with middle incomes and 43% of those with higher incomes.
• People living in urban areas: 61% of pet owners in urban areas say their pets are as much a part of their family as a human member, compared with 50% of those in rural areas and 47% of those in the suburbs.

The share of pet owners who think of their pets as part of their family as much as a human member doesn’t vary notably by age, race or ethnicity…”

See also Barrons – Profiting From the Pet Boom. “Humans may not be acquiring pets at a pandemic-induced pace anymore, but they still are spending plenty on food, supplies, and services to take care of the furry members of their families. Investors in public and private markets have their eyes on all that pet-care spending. Increasingly, consumers have gone beyond buying kibble to snapping up premium products and services that ensure their pets are living healthy, environmentally friendly lives. It’s a trend familiar to anyone who has followed the growth in eco-friendly wellness products and services for humans.  The shorthand for this phenomenon? The “humanization of pets,” according to Milwaukee-based Baird…”