This might be surprising news to many, but a recent survey has revealed that more Australians prefer to find a new home friendly to pets compared to finding one within close proximity to family or friends’ homes.

Suncorp, a bank based in Brisbane, conducted a survey among 1600 residents and found that the choices of new and young generation home buyers are home features and lifestyle factors, particularly with more emphasis on pet-friendliness rather than family or friends.

This preference accounted for more than half of 59% of the respondents aged 18 to 34. A prevailing reason is that pet ownership provides a lot of benefits and studies have found evidence to support this line of reasoning.

Help reduce anxiety and stress

A number of research and scientific journals suggest that owning and caring for a pet helps reduce stress. In fact, a lot of rehabilitation and therapy centres allow the presence of pets in their treatment facilities.

Bonding with pets stimulates the stress-reducing hormone oxytocin and simultaneously decreases the production of the stress-inducing hormone cortisol. Interaction with animals has also been found to largely support child development.

Children with pets have also been found to more resistant to stress, separation anxiety, social anxiety, and are less likely to develop behavioural and emotional disorders during adulthood.

Provide comfort and affection to people

Therapy animals have been found to provide companionship, comfort, and cheer to patients in most schools, hospices, nursing homes, and hospitals. Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mobility disorders have significantly improved with pet or animal therapy.

Helps compel people to be more active and go outdoors

Even the act of walking the dog or cleaning and taking out the cat litter can provide people the means to move around more and help people to stay outdoors.

Studies have shown that 54% of pet owners have taken to initiate exercise along with their pets.

Pets help people socialise and meet new people

Another benefit of pet ownership is that it provides an ideal social interaction or conversation topic among a bigger populace. As a result, it helps ease people out of shyness or social isolation.

These are just a few of the many benefits people, especially those belonging to the newer generations have found in choosing a property that is pet-friendly.