Pet owners prefer McCain over Obama

In a poll that may very well be one of the first to break down opinions based on pet ownership, McCain is leading among pet owners, according to a recent Yahoo News Article.

Here's a look at the poll results from the article:

— All pet owners: McCain, 42 percent; Obama 37 percent; Nader, 3 percent; other, 3 percent; undecided, 14 percent. Margin of error, plus or minus 2.9 points.

— Do not own a pet: Obama, 48 percent; McCain, 34 percent; Nader, 3 percent; other, 3 percent; undecided, 12 percent. Margin of error, 4.1 points.

— Dog owners: McCain, 43 percent; Obama, 34 percent; Nader, 3 percent; other, 3 percent, undecided, 12 percent. Margin of error, 3.6 points.

— Cat owners: McCain, 41 percent; Obama, 38 percent; Nader, 3 percent; other, 4 percent; undecided, 14 percent. Margin of error 3.9 points.

The population breakdown of who has pets and who doesn't also may be a factor.

For example, the poll found 47 percent of whites own dogs, compared with just 24 percent of blacks. Whites tend to favor McCain, while blacks overwhelmingly favor Obama.

Some 64 percent of dog owners are married, slightly higher than the overall population. The poll found 47 percent of married people own dogs, compared with 39 percent of non-married people. Married people tend to favor McCain.


While the Pet Haven Blog will refrain from making an endorsement (read - undecided), this is an interesting poll and I don't think candidates ever imagined that pet ownership could make a difference in getting elected.

Also interesting is the overall stats of how many households own pets. It seems like everywhere I turn, someone I know is getting a new pet, so I'm not surprised about those particular results.