It has long been perceived wisdom that single people are those least likely to own a pet. The 2010 Emploi du temps (Time Use) survey confirms this pattern, while also making it possible to examine the activities and time shared with pets. It also allows an analysis of the terms people use to describe the activities carried out with their pets. We show that single people who own a pet spend more time with it, especially playing together with it. We also show that women and the elderly use language from a register that could be described as “anthropomorphic” to describe the way their pets fit into their daily lives more than other groups. It explains why single people use “anthropomorphic” language more than others, since they are more likely to be women and elderly people.

Brousse, C. & Bodier, M. (2024). Attachment to Pets Revisited. Economie et Statistique / Economics and Statistics, 543, 75–92.
doi: 10.24187/ecostat.2024.543.2120