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The pet connection: Pets as a conduit for social capital?

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  • Wood, Lisa
  • Giles-Corti, Billie
  • Bulsara, Max

Abstract

There is growing interest across a range of disciplines in the relationship between pets and health, with a range of therapeutic, physiological, psychological and psychosocial benefits now documented. While much of the literature has focused on the individual benefits of pet ownership, this study considered the potential health benefits that might accrue to the broader community, as encapsulated in the construct of social capital. A random survey of 339 adult residents from Perth, Western Australia were selected from three suburbs and interviewed by telephone. Pet ownership was found to be positively associated with some forms of social contact and interaction, and with perceptions of neighbourhood friendliness. After adjustment for demographic variables, pet owners scored higher on social capital and civic engagement scales. The results suggest that pet ownership provides potential opportunities for interactions between neighbours and that further research in this area is warranted. Social capital is another potential mechanism by which pets exert an influence on human health.

Suggested Citation

  • Wood, Lisa & Giles-Corti, Billie & Bulsara, Max, 2005. "The pet connection: Pets as a conduit for social capital?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(6), pages 1159-1173, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:61:y:2005:i:6:p:1159-1173
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    1. Matsumura, Kenta & Hamazaki, Kei & Tsuchida, Akiko & Inadera, Hidekuni, 2022. "Pet ownership during pregnancy and mothers' mental health conditions up to 1 year postpartum: A nationwide birth cohort—the Japan Environment and Children's Study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).
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    3. Mohammad Javad Koohsari & Akitomo Yasunaga & Ai Shibata & Kaori Ishii & Rina Miyawaki & Kuniko Araki & Tomoki Nakaya & Tomoya Hanibuchi & Gavin R. McCormack & Koichiro Oka, 2021. "Dog ownership, dog walking, and social capital," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-6, December.
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    6. Bruce Headey & Fu Na & Richard Zheng, 2008. "Pet Dogs Benefit Owners’ Health: A ‘Natural Experiment’ in China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 87(3), pages 481-493, July.
    7. Eriksson, Malin & Dahlblom, Kjerstin, 2020. "Children's perspectives on health-promoting living environments: The significance of social capital," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
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    10. Karynna Okabe-Miyamoto & Dunigan Folk & Sonja Lyubomirsky & Elizabeth W Dunn, 2021. "Changes in social connection during COVID-19 social distancing: It’s not (household) size that matters, it’s who you’re with," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(1), pages 1-16, January.
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    13. Paloma Morales-Flores & Carlos Marmolejo-Duarte, 2021. "Can We Build Walkable Environments to Support Social Capital? Towards a Spatial Understanding of Social Capital; a Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-15, November.
    14. Esther M. C. Bouma & Marsha L. Reijgwart & Arie Dijkstra, 2021. "Family Member, Best Friend, Child or ‘Just’ a Pet, Owners’ Relationship Perceptions and Consequences for Their Cats," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-18, December.
    15. Ida Marie Henriksen & Aksel Tjora, 2014. "Interaction Pretext: Experiences of Community in the Urban Neighbourhood," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(10), pages 2111-2124, August.
    16. Richard F. Gillum & Thomas O. Obisesan, 2010. "Living with Companion Animals, Physical Activity and Mortality in a U.S. National Cohort," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-8, May.
    17. Rock, Melanie & Mykhalovskiy, Eric & Schlich, Thomas, 2007. "People, other animals and health knowledges: Towards a research agenda," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(9), pages 1970-1976, May.
    18. Eliška Mičková & Kristýna Machová & Klára Daďová & Ivona Svobodová, 2019. "Does Dog Ownership Affect Physical Activity, Sleep, and Self-Reported Health in Older Adults?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-11, September.
    19. Jaroslav Flegr & Marek Preiss, 2019. "Friends with malefit. The effects of keeping dogs and cats, sustaining animal-related injuries and Toxoplasma infection on health and quality of life," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(11), pages 1-30, November.
    20. Eloise C.J. Carr & Jean E. Wallace & Rianne Pater & Douglas P. Gross, 2019. "Evaluating the Relationship between Well-Being and Living with a Dog for People with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Feasibility Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-16, April.
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    23. Zhen Guo & Xiaoxing Ren & Jinzhe Zhao & Liying Jiao & Yan Xu, 2021. "Can Pets Replace Children? The Interaction Effect of Pet Attachment and Subjective Socioeconomic Status on Fertility Intention," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-12, August.
    24. Shelby E. McDonald & Camie A. Tomlinson & Jennifer W. Applebaum & Sara W. Moyer & Samantha M. Brown & Sue Carter & Patricia A. Kinser, 2021. "Human–Animal Interaction and Perinatal Mental Health: A Narrative Review of Selected Literature and Call for Research," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-26, September.

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