New Study Finds That Pets Benefit College Students In Impressive Ways

Most people will agree that college was a great time of their lives. It’s a period of time for socializing, exploring, and getting that first real taste of independence in the adult world. However, it’s also a time for uncertainty, anxiety, and a stressful workload that can take a toll on people. According to a study by Beyond The Treat, though, pets likely play a much larger role in the happiness and success of students than originally thought.

Background On Surveyed Population

This survey was distributed to the pet-owning student populations of several US universities, including the University of Central Florida, University of Florida, Florida State University, and Rice University. 360 survey responses were collected and analyzed to provide the data presented in this study.

• The average age of respondents was 20.54 years old.
• Of the respondents, 101 are male, 252 are female, and 7 are non-binary.
• 22% of respondents are freshman, 17% are sophomore, 28% are junior, 26% are senior, and 7% were in graduate school.
• 61% of respondents have dogs, 47% have cats, 13% have small pets like mice, ferrets, and rabbits, 10% have fish, 2% have birds, and 1% have reptiles.

Why Get A Pet In The First Place?

Students were asked why they got their pet in the first place in order to determine whether or not they knew the benefits that they would receive. What we found was that the reasons behind pet ownership in college varied greatly! The percentages below equal 105% due to some respondents highlighting two or more reasons.

• 37% of respondents gave the broad answer that they simply “like animals”, giving many specific reasons such as entertainment, cuteness, and the overall strong desire to own a pet.
• 27% explicitly stated that they got a pet to help curb their loneliness and provide companionship.
• 14% stated that they’ve owned pets for years and wanted to continue that trend.
• Another 14% stated that their pet ownership was a spur of the moment choice, either taking in a stray or housing unexpected puppies or kittens.
• 10% identified anxiety as their reason, with most of these respondents explaining that their pets are emotional support animals.
• 3% wanted more responsibilities and a reason to be active and productive.

To a large portion of college students, owning an animal is just something that feels natural to them. They don’t necessarily have an ulterior motive, they just enjoy their life with a pet in it. This group did have decent overlap with the respondents that have owned pets throughout their lives.

What Explicit Benefits Do Pets Bring Students?

A majority of students didn’t bring pets into their lives for a specific reason. However, most respondents listed several benefits that they’ve recognized their pets bringing them in their day-to-day lives.

• A whopping 90% of respondents said that owning a pet helped them to feel less anxious and stressed, with 78% specifying that pets are especially helpful to de-stress after a long day.
• 84% recognize their pets as an excellent source of entertainment.
• 79% of students mentioned that their pets get them through hard emotional times or periods of elevated emotions.
• 68% of student pet owners recognize and enjoy the added responsibilities that their pets add to their lives.
• 50% highlight the fact that their pet acts as a social catalyst, helping them make friends and break the ice in otherwise challenging situations.
• 47% feel more safe with their pet at home or out on a walk.
• 41% are more active due to their pet ownership.

It’s no secret that many students struggle with stress and anxiety due to the many social and academic challenges presented to them. This survey helps to show that 9 in 10 students with pets experience noticeable decreases in their stress and anxiety.

In fact, 41% of students say that their pets play an extremely beneficial part in helping their overall happiness and well-being. 28% responded “a lot”, 22% responded “a moderate amount”, 7% responded “a little” and only 2% saw no impact.

Benefits Of Pet Ownership On Academic Performance

Students were also asked to identify the impact that their pet has on their academic performance. As this was a qualitative answer and didn’t look at the student’s actual academic performance, these results aren’t entirely indicative of the true effects of pet ownership on academic performance.

• 57% of student pet owners stated that their pets had no effect on their academic performance and only bring them social and emotional benefits.
• 30% see somewhat of a benefit, and 11% see a very strong benefit.
• Only 2% of respondents saw a negative effect on their academic performance.

It’s important to remember that college isn’t all about going to class and getting good grades — it’s also about developing into a strong and capable adult. While pet ownership may not play an important role in academic performance for more than half of the student population, it still plays an undeniable role in their mental health and overall happiness and well-being.

Summary Of Pet Ownership Benefits

Students were given a chance to freely respond to the question asking them how their pet has specifically helped them with their life in college. The responses highlighted below are indicative of what most other responses stated:

• “Made me miss home and my pets from home less, made me happier, made me feel more at home here, feel less lonely, feel responsible, felt good taking care of something other than myself, felt like i was helping an animal by adopting.”
• “Encouraging me to go to social events with my dog on campus and with RSOs, de-stressing from finals, and much more!”
• “I get stressed really easily and just sitting or lying with my cats is a huge stress reliever for me and it helps pull me out of my worrying cycles.”
• “I focus on their needs and problems instead of just my own, which puts things into perspective. Playing with them also alleviates stress; seeing them happy makes me happy.”
• “In ways, they hurt because they take up your time. When I study, they easily distract me, or beg for my attention/ to be let out to play. However, they make me feel loved, and fills my voids of time where I would be bored. “
• “I’ve struggled with mental health for over 6 years, sometimes going through suicidal periods. My cat gives me a reason to keep going– if I was dead, no one would be there to take care of her. She also helps me with my day-to-day mental health. It’s so comforting to know that no matter what I did or how I feel about myself, she will love me and be thrilled to see me when I come home every day.”
• “Sense of responsibility to get my a** out of bed and not be depressed because cat needs to be fed. I also met my current roommate freshman year because we had a floor meeting and I was coming back from back home in Jacksonville and brought my ESA cat into the floor meeting and everyone wanted to pet him.”

Study Methodology

This study was conducted by surveying current students at several different universities, mostly in Florida. Those universities are the University of Central Florida, Florida State University, University of Tampa, University of Florida, and Rice University. To participate in the survey, the student needs to currently be enrolled and own a pet that they have living with them.

360 survey responses were collected, and with an estimated population size of 10,000,000 college student pet owners, there’s a 5% margin of error at a 95% confidence level. While the sample size would have benefited from being over 1,000, it’s still indicative of the effects of pet ownership on most of the college population.