We have apparently configured the cosmos such that the amount Americans spend on pet grooming services, designer cat beds, and artisanal dog treats moves in almost perfect synchronisation with the budget allocated to launching rockets at Mars and studying the cosmic microwave background. This is the sort of thing that would have made Douglas Adams nod slowly and order another drink. One wonders what the universe makes of this arrangement.
The truth is almost certainly more mundane, which is somehow worse: both lines track economic growth over nearly two decades. The US economy expanded, wages rose, and people with more disposable income simultaneously purchased more luxury pet items and voted for space exploration as a national priority. Between 2005 and 2023, the pet industry grew from roughly 36 billion dollars to nearly 140 billion, a trajectory that tracks almost exactly with overall GDP expansion and consumer confidence. NASA's budget, meanwhile, hasn't actually grown much in real terms—it just oscillates along with the broader economy like a buoy on very predictable waves.
What we are really watching is not pet spending controlling space budgets, but rather the American economy's tendency to increase spending across almost every category simultaneously, regardless of how unrelated those categories might seem. This is oddly comforting and deeply unsettling. We are very good at finding meaning in noise.
As an Amazon Associate, getspurious.com earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more.
Want to learn more about why correlations like “US pet industry spending” vs “NASA budget” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.
