Raleigh, N.C.- PPP’s latest poll on pets and
animals find that six in ten voters (61%) say they own a pet. Almost half (46%)
say they spend  between 1-5 hours per
week taking care of their pets, while 25% spend between 6-10 hours, 7% 11-20
hours, 6% more than 20 hours and 16% less than one hour. One in five say they
prefer to spend time with their pets over most human beings.

Almost a
third (31%) say their pets sleep in the bed with them. About a quarter of pet
owners (24%) say that “everyone should love their pet”, while 69% do not think
that.

When
asked whether they prefer cats or dogs, dogs win big with 52% while just 21%
choose cats. 44% of voters say they own dogs, and 21% of dog owners say their
dogs bark and jump on people every time they enter the house (79% say their
dogs don’t do that.). 31% of voters own cats, and fully 77% of those cat owners
say their cats are friendly to visitors compared to 23% who aren’t friendly.

As a
whole, Americans are more terrified of snakes than any other animal, with 21%
of respondents claiming they were the scariest. Alligators were a close second
at 19%, with sharks and bears following with 18% and 14% respectively. It’s a
close contest as to who voters think would win a fight between a shark and a
bear. 56% chose the bear, and 44% the shark.

When
picking what they’d most like to have as an exotic pet, 26% chose a tiger, 20%
a giraffe, 18% a dinosaur, 16% an elephant, 14% a polar bear and 6% an
alligator. Bambi wins out as “favorite movie animal” with 23%. 19% pick Lassie,
16% Garfield, 10% Nemo, 8% Free Willy, 7% Jaws and 17% say something else.

The
Humane Society is viewed favorably by voters by a 70/14 margin, but PETA gets a
plurality unfavorable rating of 36/39.

18% of
voters say they think the Loch Ness Monster is real, while 64% say they don’t
believe it is and 18% aren’t sure.

PPP surveyed 603 registered voters between June 11-13,
2013. The margin of error was +/- 4.0%. This poll was not authorized or paid
for by any campaign or political organization. PPP’s surveys are conducted
through automated telephone interviews.

Topline results are below.  Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.

Q1 Do you own any pets?
Yes………………………………………………………… 61%
No …………………………………………………………. 39%

Q2 (Q2-5 asked only of pet owners) How many
hours per week do you spend taking care of
your pets: less than one hour, one to five
hours, six to 10 hours, 11 to 20 hours, or more
than 20 hours?
Less than 1 hour ……………………………………… 16%
1 to 5 hours…………………………………………….. 46%
6 to 10 hours…………………………………………… 25%
11 to 20 hours …………………………………………. 7%
More than 20 hours………………………………….. 6%

Q3 Do you prefer to spend time with your pet over
most human beings, or not?
Do …………………………………………………………. 20%
Do not ……………………………………………………. 80%

Q4 Do your pets sleep in the bed with you, or not?
They do………………………………………………….. 31%
They do not…………………………………………….. 69%

Q5 Do you think everyone should love your pet, or
not?
Think everyone should……………………………… 24%
Do not think that………………………………………. 69%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 7%

Q6 Which do you like better: cats or dogs?
Cats ………………………………………………………. 21%
Dogs ……………………………………………………… 52%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 27%

Q7 Do you own a dog, or not?
Do …………………………………………………………. 44%
Do not ……………………………………………………. 56%

Q8 (Asked of only dog owners:) Does your dog or
dogs bark and jump up on people every time
they enter your house?
Yes………………………………………………………… 21%
No …………………………………………………………. 79%

Q9 Do you own a cat, or not?
Do …………………………………………………………. 31%
Do not ……………………………………………………. 69%

Q10 (Asked of only cat owners:) Are your cats
friendly to people when they visit your house,
or not?
They are…………………………………………………. 77%
They are not……………………………………………. 23%

Q11 What best describes your feeling towards cats?
Do you love them, do you like them, are you
afraid of them, are you allergic to them, are you
indifferent toward them, or do you think they
should all live in the woods?
Love them………………………………………………. 24%
Like them……………………………………………….. 34%
Afraid of them …………………………………………. 5%
Allergic to them……………………………………….. 11%
Indifferent toward them…………………………….. 19%
They should all live in the woods ……………….. 8%

Q12 What best describes your feeling towards
dogs? Do you love them, do you like them, are
you afraid of them, are you allergic to them, are
you indifferent toward them, or do you think
they should all live in the woods?
Love them………………………………………………. 41%
Like them……………………………………………….. 40%
Afraid of them …………………………………………. 3%
Allergic to them……………………………………….. 2%
Indifferent toward them…………………………….. 10%
They should all live in the woods ……………….. 4%

Q13 Do you agree or disagree with the following
statement? ‘Cat owners are weirder than dog
owners.’
Agree …………………………………………………….. 23%
Disagree ………………………………………………… 35%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 42%

Q14 Do you agree or disagree with the following
statement? ‘Dog owners need to get better
control of their dogs.’
Agree …………………………………………………….. 48%
Disagree ………………………………………………… 26%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 26%

Q15 Do you agree or disagree with the following
statement? ‘Cats are more satisfying pets
because they make you work for their affection,
and they don’t sell out like dogs do.’
Agree …………………………………………………….. 11%
Disagree ………………………………………………… 57%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 32%

Q16 Do you think black cats are good luck or bad
luck?
Good luck……………………………………………….. 15%
Bad luck…………………………………………………. 10%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 74%

Q17 Based on their personalities, do you think a
dog or a cat would make a better President of
the United States?
Dog ……………………………………………………….. 37%
Cat ………………………………………………………… 19%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 45%

Q18 Do you wish you could go to the zoo every day,
or not?
Do …………………………………………………………. 7%
Do not ……………………………………………………. 79%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%

Q19 What do you think is the scariest animal:
alligators, bats, bears, cockroaches, tigers,
sharks, snakes, spiders, wolves, or something
else?
Alligators………………………………………………… 19%
Bats ………………………………………………………. 5%
Bears …………………………………………………….. 14%
Cockroaches…………………………………………… 11%
Tigers…………………………………………………….. 9%
Sharks …………………………………………………… 18%
Snakes…………………………………………………… 21%
Spiders…………………………………………………… 2%
Wolves…………………………………………………… 1%
Something else ……………………………………….. 0%

Q20 Which exotic animal would you most like to
have as a pet: an alligator, a dinosaur, an
elephant, a giraffe, a polar bear, or a tiger?
Alligator………………………………………………….. 6%
Dinosaur ………………………………………………… 18%
Elephant…………………………………………………. 16%
Giraffe……………………………………………………. 20%
Polar bear ………………………………………………. 14%
Tiger ……………………………………………………… 26%

Q21 Do you want a hippopotamus for Christmas, or
not?
Do …………………………………………………………. 10%
Do not ……………………………………………………. 90%

Q22 Who do you think would win a fight between a
shark and a bear?
Shark …………………………………………………….. 44%
Bear ………………………………………………………. 56%

Q23 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals)?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 36%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 39%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 25%

Q24 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of the Humane Society?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 70%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 14%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 15%

Q25 Who is your favorite movie animal: Bambi, Free
Willy, Garfield, Jaws, Lassie, Nemo the fish, or
something else?
Bambi…………………………………………………….. 23%
Free Willy……………………………………………….. 8%
Garfield ………………………………………………….. 16%
Jaws ……………………………………………………… 7%
Lassie ……………………………………………………. 19%
Nemo …………………………………………………….. 10%
Something else ……………………………………….. 17%

Q26 Do you think the Loch Ness Monster is real, or
not?
It is ………………………………………………………… 18%
It is not …………………………………………………… 64%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 18%

Q27 In the last presidential election, did you vote for
Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?
Barack Obama………………………………………… 50%
Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 44%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 6%

Q28 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 12%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 14%
Moderate………………………………………………… 29%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 28%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 17%

Q29 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 55%
Man……………………………………………………….. 45%

Q30 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 42%
Republican……………………………………………… 35%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 22%

Q31 If you are Hispanic, press 1. If white, press 2.
If African-American, press 3. If other, press 4.
Hispanic…………………………………………………. 8%
White …………………………………………………….. 71%
African-American …………………………………….. 13%
Other……………………………………………………… 7%

Q32 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 12%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 19%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 47%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 22%

Q33 If you live in the Northeast, press 1. If the
South, press 2. If the Midwest, press 3. If the
West, press 4.
Northeast ……………………………………………….. 25%
South …………………………………………………….. 35%
Midwest …………………………………………………. 25%
West………………………………………………………. 15%

Q34 Do you live in a rural area, a suburban area, or
an urban area?
Rural ……………………………………………………… 32%
Suburban ……………………………………………….. 51%
Urban…………………………………………………….. 17%

Q35 Are you a vegan or a vegetarian, or not?
Are vegan or vegetarian……………………………. 9%
Are not …………………………………………………… 91%

Q36 Do you consider yourself to be more of an
introvert or more of an extrovert?
Introvert …………………………………………………. 33%
Extrovert ………………………………………………… 51%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 16%