Fears Brits will include their PETS as family members on 2021 census
BRITS are expected to make a dog's dinner of the 2021 census – by including their pooches.
Pandemic puppies and Covid cats are being entered on the once-a-decade statistics survey.
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They are being listed as boneafide family members – with households listing them as sons or daughters, researchers say.
Research carried out suggests at least 16 per cent of households will list dogs as family members in the census.
But they say it could be a lot higher after a tenfold spike in demand for pets.
It's believed 3.2m households bought a pet during the pandemic.
The census, conducted once a decade, asks people questions about their jobs, the languages they speak and where they live.
Everyone answers the same questions, making it a key resource for policymakers to make decisions about life in the UK.
Under privacy laws, 100 years must pass before the public can access census records.
Pet care brand Bob Martin found examples of puppy love in the 1911 census, including 'Roger the Watchdog' from Dulwich, London.
His owner. James Little, listed his terrier's age as five and profession as 'looking after the house'.
Marketing boss Julie Butcher said: "Over the pandemic year, the UK seems to have become even more obsessed with our companion animals than ever before.
"However, it was the same for those living in the late-Victorian period, too."
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