United States: 8 minutes a day on pets, up from 5 in 2003
That is the average per person aged 15+. Children: 22 minutes, down from 25; an average over everyone also depends on how many people live with children.
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Time on pets rose on average, and time on children fell slightly. These are averages over everyone, not over owners or parents; they do not mean pets replaced children.
One percentage scale relative to 2003: 0% is the starting value, +100% is a doubling, −50% is a halving. Lines show the yearly path; on a short screen, bars show the change to 2025. Equal distances mean equal relative changes. For shares, this is relative change, not percentage points. Gaps are not filled; original values and units are below.
- Animal and pet care: time per day hours per day, people aged 15+
0.08 (2003) → 0.14 (2025)
- Caring for household children: time per day hours per day, people aged 15+
0.42 (2003) → 0.36 (2025)
Published 2003 and 2025 values. No gap filling. Change is a difference in values or 100 × (end / start − 1). No causal effect is estimated.
Childcare counts primary activity only; supervision alongside other activities is excluded. Animal care includes pet walks and play. The source gives hours to two decimals, so minutes are rounded. This does not show parents spending less time with children.
A question for this picture
Does care time change within households with children or with pets?