Are you a cat person or a dog person? More importantly, do you own a cat or a dog? While the General Social Survey has been around since 1972, 2018 was the first year that it included questions about pet ownership, and the results are eye-opening.

Most of the people who take part in the General Social Survey are interviewed in person, one on one. They answer a slew of questions about things like work, family, politics, etc. One question they answer involves happiness. “Taken all together, how would you say things are these days–would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?”

In 2018, 31% of the people interviewed said they were very happy, 56% said they were pretty happy, and only 13% said they were not too happy. Happiness is trending up slightly from 2016, and while that’s a good thing, that’s not the most interesting thing.

Back to pet ownership. The interviewees were asking if they have pets, and it turns out that 61% of Americans have some type of pet. Of those pet owners, 33% only have a dog, 14% have a cat and a dog, 11% only have a cat, and 4% have some other type of pet like a rabbit or a lizard.

Dogs certainly seem to be the most popular pet. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that 36% of dog owners said that they are very happy. Only 32% of people without any pets said that they were very happy, so it seems that if you’re thinking about getting a pet and you get a dog your happiness increases slightly.

What about cat owners? Only 18% of cat owners said that they are very happy. So, if you don’t have a pet and you get a cat, it seems that you might become even less happy. 

If a cat owner decides to get a dog, his or her happiness could actually increase. According to the survey, 28% of people who owned a cat and a dog said they were very happy.

This is all very interesting and definitely bragging rights for dog owners, but what could be the link between dogs and happiness? According to the survey, dog owners were slightly more likely than cat owners to consider their pet a member of the family, play with their pet and seek comfort from their pet.

Dog owners were also more likely to become friends with their neighbors, possibly due to all that dog walking which also leads to physical activity and being outdoors more often. Friendship, physical activity and fresh air could all be root causes for happiness.

For more on these interesting survey results, watch the video below.

It’s important to keep in mind that people are answering questions about themselves. There is no specific meter to gauge true happiness. Dog owners might simply be more likely to say they’re happier. If they really are happier or not is anyone’s guess.

Do you own a pet? Why do you think dog owners say they’re happier than cat owners?