Factors in Children's Attitudes toward Pets

This study investigates parental attitudes, family size, and structure, and presence or absence of household pets as influences on children's attitudes toward pets. 700 parents completed a Melson Parent Questionnaire which assesses children's activities with, interest in, and responsibility for pets, and completed either the Wilson Attitude Inventory for Pet Owners or for Nonpet Owners. Results indicated: that children of strongly attached adults and in pet-owning homes scored higher on Activities and Interest than children of weakly attached adults and in nonpet-owning homes; that children of both sexes in one-parent homes scored higher on Responsibility than in two-parent homes; that boys scored higher on Interest, girls on Activities, and both sexes on Responsibility when mothers worked full time rather than part-time; that girls scored higher on Interest and, in pet-owning homes, on Responsibility than boys; that preschoolers scored lower on Activities and Interest than older children, and that grade schoolers scored higher on Responsibility than preschoolers or high schoolers.