SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES ON CHILDREN'S ATTITUDES TOWARD PETS

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Children''s experiences with other''s pets, animal-related school assignments, movies, television books, and visits to wildlife parks and zoos as influences on children''s attitudes toward pets were investigated. 300 children between the ages of 3 and 18 yr. were individually interviewed. Analysis indicated that children with pets liked and discussed pets and had contact with others'' pets, reported animal-related school assignments, enjoyed animal-related movies and television programs, read animal-related stories and texts, and enjoyed zoos and wildlife parks significantly more than children without pets. Also, boys watched animal-related TV programs and read animal-related stories and texts significantly more than did girls, and grade schoolers had contact with nonfamily pets, had animal-related school assignments, and liked pets significantly more than preschoolers or high schoolers. Only 10 or 3% of these subjects reported no contact with animals or animal-related information.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: