- New survey highlights social, emotional and academic
benefits for children during remote learning
- 83% of parents believe a pet helped their child feel
less lonely and 73% felt their pet reduced stress caused by
isolation away from classmates
- Nine in 10 parents reveal their pet has positively
impacted their child's home-schooling experience
- As schools return, 80% believe pet
interaction should continue in-person
BRUSSELS, April 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey
conducted by Mars Petcare of 2,000 parents across the UK and US
shows family pets help children better manage feelings of stress
and loneliness, which have been greatly exacerbated by virtual
schooling as a result of the pandemic[1].
Around the world, 332 million children have lived under
stay-at-home policies for at least nine months[2] and
nearly 1.6 billion learners have been affected by disruption of
in-person schooling[3]. There are early indicators that
the pandemic has had a negative impact on children's social skills,
productivity and well-being. Save the Children report that more
than half of children who were separated from friends during the
pandemic reported feeling less happy and more worried[4]
and this shift to virtual schooling means students may have more
distractions and less oversight, which can reduce their
motivation[5].
For many families navigating the stress and challenges of
home-schooling, pets have offered children crucial support. More
than eight in 10 (83%) parents found that their family pet
helped their child feel less lonely during lockdown, with more than
three-quarters feeling that day-to-day interactions with their cat
or dog reduced their child's stress and anxiety. Parents agreed
their pet supported their child during the unprecedented break from
in-person schooling by improving their mood, providing
companionship and giving much-needed emotional support.
Pets may make the best study buddy
The survey also found that pets positively impacted a child's
experience of virtual learning and academic performance across all
ages – with nine in 10 parents seeing improvements in their
child's emotional, social and core skill development including
having more energy and improved concentration, providing a fun
topic of conversation to engage with their classmates and teacher,
and giving them a much-needed break away from the screen. More
than half (56%) report having a pet helped improve their child's
academic performance and 72% say their child is more motivated with
a pet around[1].
"There are proven benefits to having pets in the classroom when
it comes to improving children's confidence, focus and reducing
their stress, but this survey shows that pets also played an
important part in helping children emotionally as they come to
terms with this unprecedented time away from their peers," said
Mary Margaret Callahan,
Chief Mission Officer of the leading therapy animal organisation
Pet Partners. "We've been absolutely overwhelmed with the
response from teachers, parents and students to our teams' virtual
therapy animal visits during the pandemic. There is now an
important role for animals in helping children adjust as they
return to school."
More time together benefits wellbeing of children and
pets
Equally, the survey revealed this increased bond between
children and their pets has many benefits for the pet too. The
results found 40% of children spent more than two hours of time
with their pet each day during the pandemic (compared to just 21%
before the pandemic) and the majority of parents (77%) believe
their pet is also calmer now that they spend more time with their
child.
"Talking or reading to a pet has been shown to help children to
build confidence and connect with both peers and teachers.
Exploring the important role human-animal interaction can play in a
range of settings – from the classroom and office to the hospital
or simply at home – is something we, at Mars Petcare, have been
committed to for many years," said Kay
O'Donnell, Vice President, Waltham Petcare Science
Institute, the fundamental science centre for Mars Petcare. "It
is wonderful to see these survey results reinforce how pets may
help address the growing burden of loneliness and social isolation,
which we know can be as detrimental to health as obesity, as well
as indications pets have benefited from this additional time
together."
"The pandemic was an abrupt change for my students and for
education in general, and all educators were challenged to find new
and creative ways to engage our classes," said Chris Koenig, Health and Physical Education
Teacher in Oregon's Gresham-Barlow
School District. "Adding Bella to my lesson plans for Pet
Fridays has gone a long way in giving my students – and our
dog – something positive to look forward to."
Majority of parents want pet interaction in traditional
classrooms as a result
The survey also revealed that the majority (80%) of parents
believe pet interaction should be used in schools as students begin
to transition back to traditional classrooms and restrictions ease.
Seventy-five percent of parents believed schools should invest more
to bring controlled pet interaction into the traditional classroom
setting.
Parents and teachers like Chris around the world have shared
touching anecdotes relaying their personal experiences of having
pets in the home classroom during the pandemic and how pets make it
better.
You can follow the conversation about the research behind the
many proven benefits of pets using #PetsMakeItBetter and by
following Mars Petcare on social media.
Visit our website for expert advice about how to responsibly
raise a happy and healthy cat or dog and how to help your pet
through lockdown and beyond.
References
- Market Research Survey – Impact of pets in the home classroom,
n=2,000. Conducted by Edelman Data and Intelligence (DxI)
February 2021.
-
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/least-1-7-children-and-young-people-has-lived-under-stay-home-policies-most-last.
- Pokhrel S, Chhetri R. A Literature Review on Impact of COVID-19
Pandemic on Teaching and Learning. Higher Education for the
Future. 2021;8(1):133-141. doi:10.1177/2347631120983481.
-
https://www.savethechildren.net/blog/hidden-impacts-covid-19-children%E2%80%99s-mental-health#.
-
https://www.edweek.org/technology/opinion-how-effective-is-online-learning-what-the-research-does-and-doesnt-tell-us/2020/03.
About the survey
This research was conducted by Edelman Data &
Intelligence, a global, multidisciplinary research, analytics and
data consultancy, between 19 February and 1 March 2021 with
2,000 respondents across the UK and USA. All respondents owned at least one cat or
dog and had at least one child aged five to 17 years old in full
time education and taking part in virtual schooling because of the
pandemic.
About Mars Petcare
Part of Mars, Incorporated, a family-owned business with more
than a century of history making diverse products and offering
services for people and the pets people love, the 85,000 Associates
in Mars Petcare are dedicated to one purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR
PETS. With 75 years of experience, our portfolio of almost 50
brands serves the health and nutrition needs of the world's pets –
including brands PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, ROYAL CANIN®, NUTRO™,
GREENIES™, SHEBA®, CESAR®, IAMS™ and EUKANUBA™ as well as The
WALTHAM Petcare Science Institute which has advanced research in
the nutrition and health of pets for over 50 years. Mars Petcare is
also a leading veterinary health provider through a network of over
2,000 pet hospitals including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, PET PARTNERS™,
VCA™, Linnaeus and AniCura. We're also active in innovation and
technology for pets, with WISDOM PANEL™ genetic health screening
and DNA testing for dogs, the WHISTLE™ GPS dog tracker, and LEAP
VENTURE STUDIO accelerator and COMPANION FUND™ programs that drive
innovation and disruption in the pet care industry. As a family
business and guided by our principles, we are privileged with the
flexibility to fight for what we believe in – and we choose to
fight for: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.
Logo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1484960/Mars_Petcare_Logo.jpg
Media contact (U.S.):
Alyssa Paldo
alyssa.paldo@edelman.com
+1 (312) 973-2892
Media contact (UK):
Will
Jobes
william.jobes@edelman.com
+44 (0)7449 819797