Mars Unveils the World’s Biggest Pet Parent Study, Including Insights into the Philippines

Manila, Philippines, October 11, 2024 — Mars Incorporated, a global leader in pet care products and services, confectionery, snacking, and food, and the maker of some of the world’s most-loved brands, unveils significant findings from its pet parent study, showcasing the biggest trends influencing today’s pet owners across 20 countries, including Philippines¹.

The 2024 study, conducted among over 20,000 pet parents, highlights the significant impact pets have on lives and explores the latest trends in pet ownership. This groundbreaking study, one of the most extensive of its kind, aims to deeply understand the evolving needs of pet parents, reinforcing Mars’ commitment to enriching the lives of both pets and their pet parents.

As the survey underscores the growing global trend of pet ownership—now over 1 billion pets worldwide—it also highlights the challenges that come with pet parenthood Mars Unveils World’s Largest Pet Parent Study.

Key Findings from the Pet Parent Study for Philippines:

• Most Popular Breeds: In the Philippines, medium-sized dogs are most popular. Shih Tzu is overwhelmingly the most common specific breed (29%). Meanwhile, Persian is the most common specific cat breed (43%). 
• Pets as Life’s Priority:  Pet parents in the Philippines are clearly devoted to their pets, with more than one-third (36%) of dog and (33%) cat owners considering their pets the most important thing in their lives
• Pet Owner Gratitude: Of those Filipinos satisfied with their pets, dog owners appreciate the stress relief and reduced anxiety (61%) and unconditional love (57%), while cat owners also appreciate the stress relief and reduced anxiety (60%) and entertainment and laughs (52%) their fur babies bring.
• Generational Trends: The percentage of dog ownership satisfaction is even higher amongst Generation Z (Gen Z) (64%) and Millennials (62%). The same is seen for cat ownership with Generation Z at 54% and Millennials at 50%.
• First-time pet ownership is common among Gen Z Filipinos (56% for dogs, 48% for cats), while millennials tend to plan pet parenthood more thoroughly.
• Preference for Young Pets: 80% of puppies and 79% of kittens are acquired when they are 3 months old or younger.
• Shelter Adoption: Only 4% of pets, for both puppies and kittens, were adopted from shelters. This emphasizes the need to raise awareness and support for shelter adoptions. 

The role of pets, especially among younger generations is growing. 

With this in mind, Mars is proud to highlight its pet adoption platform WeR4HappyTails, in partnership with animal shelters such as Animal Kingdom Foundation, which connects those who would like to adopt pets with registered animal shelters in the Philippines. 

The initiative aims to promote shelter pet adoption and encourage pet owners to act responsibly. The portal helps match potential pet owners with shelter dogs and cats through an easy-to-use pet directory. Recognizing that lifestyle compatibility is an important aspect of pet ownership, WeR4HappyTails also features a fun personality test where pet lovers can find out which shelter dog or cat profile matches their lifestyle and personalities.

“The Mars Global Pet Parent Study highlights that Filipinos in some of our big cities perceive their neighborhoods as more pet-friendly than the global average – this is an incredible progress of the country over the years. Filipinos value the comfort that pets bring. However, there is still a long way to go with the need to promote pet adoption and educate responsible pet ownership. The study emphasizes this need and as a business that advocates strongly on responsible pet ownership and adoption, we are proud and happy that our effort has been supported by our partners, Animal Kingdom Foundation and Shopwise. Together, we hope to bring to life our ambition of every homeless pet finding a forever-loving home,” said Johnny Racoma, General Manager for Mars Pet Nutrition Philippines.

The company will participate in Mars’ first ever Global Adoption Weekend on Saturday, October 19, 2024 as part of Shopwise’s Pet Fair at Ayala Malls Circuit Makati.

The event aims to highlight responsible pet ownership and the importance of supporting pet shelters and adoptive pet parents. Activities will include a pet adoption drive in collaboration with Animal Kingdom Foundation, free vet consultation as well as a photo booth to encourage pet parents to capture moments with their pets and share their photos and stories of pet compatibility on social media using #MarsPetAdoption, #MarsPetAdoptionSEA, and #CommitToCompatibilitySEA.

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About the survey

• This survey was commissioned with Ipsos by Mars, Incorporated
• Online survey in 20 markets with more than 20,000 dog/cat owners and non-owners (with a minimum of 500 cat parents and 500 dog parents in each market). Markets included:
• Canada, U.S., Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Poland, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand 

• Cat and dog parents are defined as people (aged 18-65) who are responsible for the decision making or care of their cat/ dog (including its feeding, health, and overall well-being). This involves the commitment to provide for the pet’s needs throughout its life. The cat/ dog had to be domestic or tamed and kept in a household primarily for non-commercial purposes.
• The online sample includes some rural coverage but is likely to be over-representative of population for urban area:
  • Total surveyed n=57,756 
  • Total interviewed about their cat/ dog n=21,106 
  • Total dog owners n=10,551 
  • Total cat owners n= 10,555 
  • Total dog non-owners n=34,890 
  • Total cat non-owners n= 37,687 
• Quota sampling tailored for each market was applied to ensure that the age, gender and regional profile of both cat and dog owners each reflected the national proportions of these demographics in that market.
• Gen-Z: 18-27 y.o.; Millennials 28-43 y.o.; Gen X: 44-59 y.o.; Baby Boomers 60+ y.o 
• Data reported at a global level reflects the mean result across all the countries where the survey was conducted. It has not been weighted to reflect the population size of each country.
• Fieldwork was conducted between 1^st March – 4^th April 2024 
• Ipsos contact: Victoria Edmonds (victoria.edmonds@ipsos.com)

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a $50bn+ family-owned business, our diverse and expanding portfolio of leading pet care products and veterinary services support pets all around the world and our quality snacking and food products delight millions of people every day. We produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, SNICKERS® and BEN’S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles—Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom—inspire our 150,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet.  

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. 

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