Every year the PFMA commissions the well respected Pet Population report, which looks in detail at pet ownership trends. In 2018 it is estimated that 12m (45% of) households have pets.
2017 - 2018 Rolling Total | Pet population (m) | % households with ..… |
---|---|---|
Any pet | 51 (inc fish) | 45 |
Dogs | 9 | 26 |
Cats | 8 | 18 |
Rabbits | 0.9 | 2 |
Domestic Fowl | 0.5 | 0.4 |
Indoor Birds | 0.5 | 1 |
Guinea Pigs | 0.4 | 1 |
Hamsters | 0.3 | 1 |
Tortoises and Turtles | 0.3 | 0.8 |
Lizards | 0.2 | 0.5 |
Snakes | 0.2 | 0.4 |
Horses and Ponies | 0.2 | 0.3 |
Rats | 0.1 | 0.2 |
Ferrets | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Gerbils | 0.1 | 0.1 |
People keep insects | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Pigeons | 0.1 | 0.04 |
Frogs and Toads | 0.1 | 0.04 |
People keep mice | 0.05 | 0.03 |
Each year a representative sample of UK adults are interviewed, by TNS, in face-to-face interviews, regarding their pet ownership. Over the last two years a sample of over 4,000 people have been interviewed. In order to further reduce statistical uncertainty, survey results are averaged over 2 years, giving an effective sample of over 8,000 people.