We found that owning a pet makes you a more moral person

Other studies have shown that looking after an animal can reduce stress, make you more likely to fall in love and more, but at TrustedHousesitters we wanted to find out whether being a ‘pet person’ would actually make you a ‘better’ and happier person.

For example, would you be more likely to help someone struggling up a set of stairs if you own or have looked after animals? Would you be less likely to hand in a £10 note you found on a shop floor if you haven’t? In other words: does looking after animals make you a more moral person?

After surveying over 1,500 people that either own or have looked after a pet, and 500 that haven’t, we found that the answer is indeed yes – owning a furry or feathered friend makes you more moral, and a happier person too!

95% of ‘pet people’ class themselves as moral, while 84% of ‘non-pet people’ do. 60% of pet people also state they are happy, while less (55%) of ‘non-pet people’ do!

Hypothetically speaking

To uncover how likely people are to act morally, our study featured a set of scenario-based questions. These included whether or not to hand in a £10 note if the participant found it in a shop, deciding on whether to help someone struggling up a set of stairs with a heavy suitcase and admitting what you would do if you were undercharged at a restaurant or were given too much change in a shop.

The power of the paw in making humans act more morally was evident in the findings of the study. Despite 84% of ‘non-pet people’ claiming they are moral, only 76% would stop to help someone struggling up a set of stairs with a heavy suitcase. Pet owners and pet carers fared better, with 86% saying they would stop and help.

Having a furry, feathered or even scaled friend was found to make people act more morally in the majority of scenarios. On average, 55% of ‘non-pet people’ would act morally, but just in front are pet owners and pet carers, with 60% choosing to act more morally.  

The Cat vs. Dog Debate

Our research also looked into how different pet owners compare on the morality scale, revealing that cat owners are ‘better’ people than dog owners… but only just.

When presented with a list of 12 moral quandaries, including: have you ever pushed in front of someone in a queue, used the last piece of toilet paper and not replaced the roll, or even more unforgivable - used the last of the milk and then put the empty carton/bottle back in the fridge, 27% of cat owners said they had never done any in the list, compared to 25% of dog owners.

Birds owners flew above both dog and cat owners in the moral stakes however, with 47% saying they had never been anything less than perfectly behaved – making them the most ‘moral’ out of all pet owners. In second place was fish owners (30%), then cat owners (27%), in joint fourth are dog owners and rabbit owners (25%) and finally it’s hamster owners with only 15% saying they had never done any of the morally questionable acts.

So, there you have it, caring for a pet doesn’t just mean you’ll show care towards that animal, but will also show it more to others… and be happier in the process! Our CEO Tim Lyons gave his thoughts on the study, and sums up how housesitting can be the perfect option for anyone that wants to look after a pet, but currently can’t own one:

“We know that owning or looking after a pet can make you happier, but it was very interesting to find out that pets can also have an impact on how ‘moral’ we are as well!

Caring for a pet is a big life commitment, and one that evidently has a knock-on effect on the amount of care we give to others, too. For those that aren’t quite ready for that commitment, we feel that pet sitting is an ideal way to experience many of the benefits of pet ownership, without the long-term commitment of owning one”.

Find out more about becoming a sitter here!