Digging down into pet ownership across Greece
Some 4 out of 10 people in Greece own at least 1 pet. But what else does research tell us about pet parents in the country?
Independent research and policy institute diaNEOsis conducts regular surveys among the Greek population on important issues of our time. Its survey What Greeks Believe also gathers information about the everyday life led by people in Greece today, including some information on pet ownership which could be useful for pet companies.
Who owns a pet in Greece?
Younger Greeks are the most likely to live with 1 or more pets, and the younger a person is, the more likely that is. Senior citizens are the least likely to be a pet parent. According to Euromonitor, the pet population in the country has been stable at 3.63 million since 2021, with the overall figure forecast to stay much the same in 2024 with only a very slight increase.
Does income have an effect?
Family income doesn’t seem to be a factor in pet adoption. Even people who say they have a very low income – including those who can’t really make ends meet – admit that they have 1, 2 or possibly 3 pets. Multiple pet ownership is slightly more common in this group.
Most popular pets
Dogs are certainly the most popular in Greece, with two-thirds of all pet households having at least 1. Cats are the second favorite, particularly among the self-employed such as craftspeople. Many Greek pet owners have birds or fish, but there are also homes with small mammals and reptiles.
Adopting strays
The majority of Greeks who own a pet claim to have taken in a stray from the streets. Adding this to the people who adopt their pets from a shelter, means that more than half of the country’s pet owners provide a home for 1 or more stray animals.
The likelihood of someone buying a pet from a store or a breeder increases in proportion to the family income. Getting a young animal from another family whose pet has given birth doesn’t seem to be a popular type of pet adoption. And it’s more likely to occur in less urban areas.
About a quarter of all Greek pet owners say that their pet was a gift. As much as a third of the over-55s claim to have acquired their pets that way.
Attitudes to pet care
Survey respondents’ ideological or political views do not seem to have any effect on their attitudes to pets in general. Regarding care, the vast majority say that they take their pets to the vet. The people who say they don’t go – a small percentage – are equally distributed among different incomes and levels of education. So, this seems to come down to values and lifestyle rather than a lack of information or finances.
Share this story:
