Every day after work, Yi Ke, 25 years old, walks her two dogs at aPark – a complex for pet owners.
Yi considers her two dogs, a 4-year-old Schnauzer and a 4-month-old German Shepherd, her children, calling them “mother”. She spends time with them every day and takes them to many pet events on the weekends. “Like any other parent, I meticulously look after their physical and mental health, giving them the best care,” she said.
The white paper on China’s pet industry shows that people born after the 80s and 90s have the most pets, accounting for 78%.
Analyzes show that teenagers are one of the most dynamic consumer groups in the market because they are highly educated, easily attracted to emerging products and consumer trends, and have the ability to financial capacity to provide a good quality of life for your pets. Many others raise pets as if raising children, providing good feed, beautiful clothing, quality medical care, and travel.
According to statistics from data company Tianyancha, Shenzhen, China’s youngest city, where the average age of residents is 32.5, currently has more than 84 000 pet-related businesses, a six-fold increase compared to with the number 12 000 in 2020.
Yi took two dogs to an amusement park in Shenzhen, July 2024. Photo: Thinkchina
Completed last December, aPark represents the city’s efforts to create a commercial eco-hub for the livestock economy. The Shenzhen government is investing heavily in the sector, including opening China’s first pet lounge at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, launching pet-friendly bus routes and promoting Build more pet-friendly shopping centers and parks.
Researcher Song Ding, China Institute of Development (Shenzhen), said that pets are good companions for a rapidly aging Chinese society and young people are increasingly delaying or not getting married. The rise of the “grizzly economy” (consumers over 50) and the “single economy” have fueled the rapid growth of the pet economy in recent years.
Compared to couples, single young people often have higher purchasing power and play an important role in driving the pet economy. Guangzhou-based psychologist Wei Zhizhong points out that even as the younger generation’s attitudes toward marriage and parenthood change, emotional needs remain constant. However, because the cost of getting love is getting higher and higher, they have to temporarily suppress this inner need or find other ways to satisfy it.
Wei believes that young people keeping pets as children can be seen as another way for them to express their emotions and gain emotional fulfillment from the loyalty and friendship that dogs and cats provide.
“But pets can only satisfy people’s desire for love and care. They cannot satisfy a higher sense of self-worth and the meaning of life,” said this expert.
There is no denying that keeping pets is beneficial, however experts do not consider this an alternative to getting married, having children and filling the emotional void.
Yi Ke herself advocates not getting married, but she affirms that keeping pets and not getting married are two separate issues that should not be discussed together.
“I raise dogs because I love them. I don’t want to get married because I love freedom,” she said.
Bao Nhien (According to Thinkchina)