Table 1.
Subject characteristics between Pet Owner (PO) and Non-Pet Owner (NPO) groups.
| NPO (N = 15) | PO (N = 15) |
Chi Square, Mann- Whitney U, or t-test |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (Mean ± S.D.) | 36.1 ± 17.6 | 32.4 ± 13.9 | t(28) = 0.65, p > 0.250 |
| Race (n) | X2=93, p=0.025 | ||
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 7 | 2 | |
| African American | 1 | 0 | |
| Hispanic | 2 | 0 | |
| Native American | 0 | 0 | |
| Caucasian | 5 | 13 | |
| Highest Level of Education (n) | X2=1.5, p > 0.250 | ||
| Less than high school | 0 | 0 | |
| High school/GED | 0 | 1 | |
| Attended college | 5 | 5 | |
| 2-year college degree | 2 | 3 | |
| 4-year college degree | 3 | 2 | |
| Post-graduate degree | 5 | 4 | |
| Marital Status (n) | X2=1.1, p > 0.250 | ||
| Single | 11 | 11 | |
| Married | 3 | 4 | |
| Separated/Divorced | 1 | 0 | |
| Widowed | 0 | 0 | |
| Household Income (n) | X2=3.7, p > 0.250 | ||
| Less than $25,000 | 2 | 4 | |
| $25,000–$49,999 | 6 | 2 | |
| $50,000–$99,000 | 2 | 3 | |
| $100,000 + | 3 | 5 | |
| Unwilling to disclose | 2 | 1 | |
| Close emotional bonds (n) | X2=4.9, p > 0.250 | ||
| 0–4 | 7 | 5 | |
| 5–9 | 6 | 7 | |
| 10+ | 2 | 3 | |
| Attraction to animal species, median ratinga | |||
| Bird | 5 | 3 | 72 |
| Cat | 3 | 7 | 55.5* |
| Dog | 7 | 9 | 24*** |
| Fish | 4 | 3 | 100.5 |
| Small mammal | 3 | 4 | 94.5 |
| Reptile/amphibian | 2 | 3 | 79.5 |
| Mean ± S.E. | 4.2 ± 0.3 | 5.3 ± 0.3 | t(28) = 2.20, p = 0.037* |
a
Median rating for “general attraction” to animal species; 1 = no attraction; 10 = strong attraction.
*
p < 0.05, significant difference between the two groups.
***
p < 0.001, significant difference between the two groups.