Survey Says Nearly Half of Millennials, Gen Z-ers Spend Money on Their Pets' Social Media (Duh)
Courtesy of miss_sammy_pom / Instagram
We might not want to admit it, but there are probably a few of us millennials and Generation Z-ers who maybe, just maybe, decide to buy something that we can then feature on our pet's Instagram account.
OK, not probably. We've definitely done this, according to a new survey from Lending Tree. More than one quarter of the 1,425 pet owners polled—28 percent—said they've spent money on their pets for social media posts. About 47 percent of Gen Z-ers (18–14 year olds in this survey) admitted to the practice along with 40 percent of millennials (25–40 year olds).
And why wouldn't we? Are we not supposed to share our cute Halloween costumes? We definitely can't let our TikTok account simply waste away into boredom. Asking us to not share photos and posts of our spoiled pets is frankly a disservice to our friends and family and, frankly, the internet at large. So yeah, we're willing to spend a little on style and pampering (and the treats that make all the photos possible).
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That's not all us pet owners spend money on, though. The Lending Tree survey showed that on average, the pet parents will spend more than $1,000 per month on their pets. The Gen Z-ers say they spent the most, an average of $1,885 per month, a mix of essentials, subscription boxes, pet insurance, and the expenses required for social media fame.
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Somehow, only 98 percent of the respondents said they spend money on their pets each month. We have to assume that the other 2 percent does an excellent job stocking up every few months.
On the unfortunate side, 45 percent of the pet owners said they would take on debt if they had to pay for a $1,000 emergency pet expense. Plus, another 27 percent said they had at some point taken on debt because of their pets. Unexpected veterinarian bills will pop up when you own a pet—sometimes it just happens—so make sure you know about the available resources that can help pay your pet's bills. Then your pet can get what they need while you still have cash for food and treats.
