Nowadays, pets seem to have become a spiritual sustenance for young people.
No matter how stressful you are from study or work, or how crowded the subway is, as long as you go home and see your "furry child", your fatigue will be instantly cured. Even if they haven’t joined the pet-raising bandwagon yet, many people will watch videos of kittens and Shiba Inu dogs, smiling at the screen with contentment on their faces.
To contemporary young people, the importance of pets is self-evident. But how much do contemporary people care about their pets? Besides cats, what else do you like to raise? What kind of emotional connection is there between pet owners?
In order to answer these questions, DT Finance and Weika launched the "2021 Pet-Raising Youth Survey" and completed the "2021 Pet-Raising Youth Report" based on the 2,213 valid samples collected.
It should be noted in advance that among all valid samples, there are 1,392 pet owners, accounting for more than 60%. In terms of age group, the post-90s generation (35) and the post-95s generation (30.5) are the most populous; nearly 7 adults are concentrated in first-tier cities (50.3) and second-tier cities (17.5). In terms of pet-raising time, nearly 30% of pet owners have kept pets for more than 4 years (29.4), followed by within 1 year (14.1) and within 2 years (13.9).
How do young people embark on the path of raising pets?
To get straight to the point, in this survey, cat owners won and were far ahead.
Among all the pets raised by the respondents, more than 7 adults have cats and nearly 4 adults have dogs. Followed by hamsters, rabbits and tortoises. Small exotic pets such as spiders, lizards, and snakes also appear, but in small numbers.
Recalling the reason why they decided to adopt a dog for the first time, more than 60% of people said it was because "I liked it very much". Even if you face the risk of "demolition" and "bankruptcy" after raising a pet, as long as you see the pet's innocent and slightly coquettish look, your defense will be broken instantly.
There are also a small number of people who decide to raise a child because they are influenced by others. From the perspective of living status, if you share a house with friends or live with a partner, the proportion of "being influenced by others and wanting to support you" will be relatively high.
Yu Hui (pseudonym) told us that because his ex-girlfriend liked cats, they adopted an orange cat together after they moved in together. "Although we are separated now, I also like the life of cats, so now I also have a stray cat."
In addition, we also noticed that during the pet-raising time 1- Within 2 years, more than 10% of people chose "other" among the reasons why they decided to keep a pet. The answer given by some people is that they want to keep a pet to accompany them because they are too lonely during the epidemic; there are also people suffering from depression who want to use pets as their spiritual support and heal themselves through raising pets.
Fortunately, life after raising a pet is mostly as everyone wishes.
Whether you are born in the 00s, 90s or 80s, whether you are raising a cat, a dog, or a hamster, people believe that pets bring them "happiness" and "companion", and also " Make life richer”.
Compared with other age groups, a higher proportion of post-00s (46.6) believe that raising pets will give them “more things to talk about when interacting with friends.”
As long as they talk about interesting things about their pets, the self-proclaimed "socially phobic" post-00s generation will have "social awesomeness" and actively share photos, videos and emoticons of their pets. It's like telling the other party that "you won't lose money if you invest in shares".
From the post-95s generation to the post-80s generation, those born in the 1990s and 1980s are more convinced that raising pets brings them a "sense of accomplishment".
This is because most of the post-00s who participated in the survey are single, mainly live with their parents, and have low or no income, so for them, pets are more of a kind of companion. The role of friends. On the other hand, from the perspective of respondents born in the 1995s to the 1980s, not only do they have relatively higher incomes, but they are also more likely to be in a relationship or married without children. Therefore, when they spend time, care, and even spend money with their partner to raise a pet, they will be more likely to have a sense of accomplishment in parenting.
What are young people willing to pay for their pets?
As the saying goes, “Once you suck a cat, you’ll always give it up.” After young people become obsessed with pets, they also become very attached to pets.
From the data, the top three things that most people do for their pets are: playing with them daily, buying them various things, and learning about pet care.
Looking at different age groups, we found that the post-00 generation has a higher proportion of raising pets and playing with them on a daily basis, but when it comes to pet consumption, their purchasing power will be relatively weak. Those born in the 1995s and 1990s are more keen than other age groups to buy various things for their pets.
From the perspective of people with different incomes, the higher the income, the higher the proportion of people who usually participate in offline pet-themed activities and pet owner gatherings. More than or nearly 2 adults of people with an annual income of more than 400,000 are willing to participate in offline pet-related activities and gatherings. For people with an annual income of 0-100,000 yuan or no income, the proportion of participating in offline activities is less than 10%.
In our interviews, some higher-income white-collar workers and pet bloggers mentioned that they attend major pet exhibitions basically every year to see in advance the latest products being developed by major brands. “If I see the brand’s experience stores, pop-up stores and other activities, I will also participate in them.” Pet blogger @陈小千 told us.
It is not difficult to see that once you get into the trap of raising pets, everyone will be unable to stop "buying, buying, buying."
In terms of pet-related food, staple food and snacks are items that most pet owners will place orders for. In terms of pet-related products, small toys (such as cat sticks, chewing balls, etc.), daily consumables (such as cat litter, rat toilets) and daily durable products (such as cat nests, traction ropes, etc.) have become popular purchases. category.
As for other pet consumption categories, from the perspective of income level, people with higher incomes have a higher proportion of consumption of pet lifestyle products or services.
Among the pet owners with annual incomes of 310,000 to 40,000 yuan and more than 40,000 yuan, respectively, nearly or more than 50% have purchased pet toys such as cat climbing frames, hamster parks, etc.), clothing accessories, and pet smart appliances ( (such as smart water dispensers, etc.) and pet services (such as grooming, pet photos, etc.), and nearly 20% have purchased pet-friendly furniture (such as coffee tables with cat nests, etc.).
The reason is that these categories of products or services meet different needs of pets and pet owners.
For example, large toys for pets are like a small family playground. Not only can it allow pets to have fun, but it can also be used as a decoration to create a fun and beautiful atmosphere at home. @小风车车 said that the unstuck cactus cat climbing frame is one of the best things she has ever bought. "My cat doesn't like anything that is too soft or too fluffy, but the unstuck cactus cat climbing frame is neither too soft nor too hard. It also looks good and looks great at home."
Pet smart appliances are more practical, an attempt to raise pets scientifically, and an existence that "liberates human hands". If the pet owner has a short-term business trip, the pet can eat and drink water on time at home.
Pet-friendly furniture is like a certificate of certification for a family member. Because these furniture are designed with pets in mind from the very beginning. It not only meets the basic needs of pet owners, but also takes into account the needs of pets, and further treats pets as family members to truly care for and care for them.
So it is not difficult for us to find from the data that although most people spend less than 500 yuan or 1,000 yuan per month on pets, the higher the income, the proportion of spending more money on pets is also The higher.
Xiao Ke (pseudonym) and her boyfriend first met in a group that rescued stray cats in college. “At first, I just thought this boy was quite caring. Later, after getting along with him, I felt that his personality and concepts were quite right.” I liked it, so I fell in love with him. "Now our cat is 2 years old, and we are planning to get married next year."
@陈小千 in 2017. The pet dating app shares the daily life of raising pets, so I got to know some pet raising bloggers. “We’ve known each other for a long time, we’ve known each other for 4 or 5 years, and we usually have small groups where we plant grass with each other and share some wool-gathering activities.
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@小风车车 also mentioned that he also has many pet groups and pet blogger groups on his mobile phone, but he also has his own small group with good relationships. "We are very good friends. , if the other party wants to get married, we will all attend. ”
It can be seen that the formation of pet tribes has such a process-first, people gain emotional accumulation from raising pets, and then create emotions through brief exchanges of pet-raising experiences and pet-raising consumption*** Ming. As we become more and more familiar with each other, we take the initiative to share our experiences and feelings with other pet owners based on their own needs, and find more common ground besides pets. Finally, we further communicate with some pet owners. More things besides pets, to achieve deep interaction.
Thus, once you raise a pet, or become interested in a certain pet brand, or even consume the same brand, you can do it online or online. Find your own "pet tribe" below. Pets, or unique pet brands, will become links between people.
Write it at the end
For many people. It is said that raising a pet often means a change in lifestyle. When a pet becomes a member of the family, people's lives also begin to change.
The most obvious thing is that the house will be filled with pets. Food, daily necessities, toys, etc. If you are not careful, every glass and cosmetics will not escape the fate of being broken on the ground.
I thought it would be "one cat, two people, three meals for four seasons". In the end, all I heard was the sound of broken dreams.
But there are still some changes that happened quietly and unconsciously.
For example. No matter how much work you do, you will go home first, because "it will always be sitting at the door waiting for me"; the door of the room will not be closed, "because it hopes that you will always be within its sight"; neither will it when a person is sad. I feel lonely because "she will come close to me and lick my tears away"; I won't be scared after watching a horror movie at night because "she will watch me sleep"...
Those moments are so special It's small, but it's enough to melt a hard heart.
Life may be difficult, but as long as people are around pets, people's hearts will be comforted.
Wake up in the morning and turn over. Hug, it is not only a soft pet, but also the love and loyalty in ordinary life.