LONDON, 2017-Jun-29 — /EPR Retail News/ — Its official – The UK prefers dogs to cats! New research from Sainsbury’s Bank Pet Insurance (1) reveals 46 per cent of people prefer dogs compared to 30 per cent who like our feline friends better. Around a quarter of us (24 per cent) have no preference either way.
• 46 per cent(1) of people prefer dogs to cats compared to 30 per cent who like cats better
• New online interactive pet map helps you find out whether cats or dogs are more popular in your area
• Newcastle has the highest percentage of households with dogs, and Norwich has the highest percentage with cats(1)
• Benefits of pet ownership include overcoming loneliness (29 per cent); improving fitness (28 per cent) and combatting depression (24 per cent)(1)
• Over one million people claim their pets have played ‘cupid’ in helping them find ‘love’ (1)
When looking at the UK’s 20 biggest cities, the findings show Belfast is the dog ‘capital’ of the UK where 63 per cent of people prefer them. Brighton and Norwich have the highest percentage of people (40 per cent) in the cat camp(1).
Around 19 per cent(1) of UK households have a cat, a similar number have a dog and 8 per cent have both. Around 74 per cent of Sainsbury’s own pet insurance customers insure dogs versus 26 per cent insuring cats(2).
In terms of location, 41 per cent of households in Newcastle own a dog, which is the highest of the 20 cities in the UK surveyed, and Brighton has the lowest with 14 per cent. For cats, 44 per cent of homes in Norwich have a moggy, with Newcastle having the lowest figure of 19 per cent.
To find out which pets are making people happy in your neck of the woods check out Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance’s new interactive pet map. It tells you whether you live in a cat or dog area and the most popular breeds in it. You can also find out whether your pet’s name ranks in the nation’s favourites.
www.sainsburysbank.co.uk/petmap(3),
Benefits of owning a pet
Whatever camp you’re in, Sainsbury’s Bank Pet Insurance findings(1) indicate that both cat and dog owners feel they have a better quality of life because of their pets. 88 per cent of dog owners said their pet made them feel happier than they otherwise would be, and the corresponding figure for cat owners is 85 per cent(1).
Tom Thomson, Head of Sainsbury’s Bank Pet Insurance said: “Although our research shows the nation has a preference for dogs, it’s clear that owning a cat or dog can be hugely beneficial to your quality of life. They are loving members of the family and can help us to relax and enjoy life.
“Good quality pet insurance is essential in order to protect your animal from accident or illness. And to ensure they make a speedy recovery and get back to fulfilling their key role in the family as soon as possible. “
Despite the positive impact dogs and cats have on our lives, around 70 per cent of dogs and 85 per cent of cats are not insured(2), which is alarming because veterinary treatment can be very expensive – the average pet insurance claim in 2016 was £757,which was 5 per cent higher than in 2015(4).
When it comes to how cats and dogs enhance their owners’ lives, the research(1) revealed the main benefit is overcoming loneliness (29 per cent); followed by owners improving their overall fitness (28 per cent) and then combatting depression (24 per cent). Some 18 per cent say their pets have helped them to be increasingly sociable by meeting more people, and 6 per cent say they helped them to cope better with their disability.
Pets have also played ‘cupid’ for around 1.1 million people who claim that owning a cat or dog helped them to meet a partner(1).
Sainsbury’s Pet Bank Insurance lets customers build a policy to suit their pet’s needs. There are three policy levels to choose from as well as additional cover options available. For further information people can call 0330 102 6703 or go online at www.sainsburysbank.co.uk.
Notes to Editors
(1) Sainsbury’s Bank commissioned Opinium Research to survey 4,008 nationally representative UK adults aged 18+ between 25 April-5 May 2017. Opinium Research is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules). Figures have been scaled up using a nationally representative sample (51,339,000).
(2) Sainsbury’s Bank pet insurance data, customers on book May 2017
(3) The data used for the interactive tool is based on research amongst thousands of Sainsbury’s customers around the UK (its own customer panel circa 5000), as well as Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance customers. The findings for location are therefore indicative, and relate to the breakdown of cat and dog ownership amongst Sainsbury’s customers in that region, and the breeds of dogs and cats they own. The Opinum research was used to determine most popular pet names.
(4) ABI, 12th April 2017
Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance is sold, underwritten and administered by Allianz Insurance plc
For further information, please contact:
Sainsbury’s Bank on 0131 286 0010 bank_communications@sainsburys.co.uk /Citigate Dewe Rogerson 020 7368 9571
SOURCE: Sainsbury’s