Dr Matthew Wade and Georgie Poole talk us through research from UK Active and Savanta that gives a deeper understanding of what motivates consumers

A new research project is exploring UK consumers’ relationship with gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres.

The work is being undertaken via a regularly-updated consumer engagement study conducted by research outfit Savanta (www.savanta.com) and commissioned by industry association, UK Active, with the first set of results published in a report called On the road to Vision 2030.

The aim is to observe the behaviours, experiences and feelings of consumers, using their responses to generate insight that can be deployed by the sector to better understand which types of engagement they respond to when it comes to joining, visiting and enjoying facilities.

On the road to Vision 2030 is based on 16 months’ of data taken across five waves of polling and so far, more than 10,000 existing, former, and potential fitness and leisure consumers have been involved.

As the sample grows, an ever more nuanced picture will be painted about what consumers want to see from our sector, so we can better understand the role facilities play within communities.

About the sample
Participants comprise a nationally representative sample of people from across the UK, with data segmented into three specific focus groups.
The first group are current members and people with active memberships and have taken part in an activity within a facility within the last three months.

The second group are people who’ve previously been a member of a gym or leisure facility but do not currently have a membership, while the third group are those that have never been a member.

This breakdown was chosen to ensure the feelings and behaviours of those who are engaging with, have engaged with or have never engaged with our sector, are reflected in the insights collected. This sample means we can compare responses between those that do and do not interact with our sector, informing decisions on how non-members can be supported and engaged.

Initial findings
This first report explores topics including current physical activity levels, membership status and some of the main barriers and motivations users and non-users have when taking part in activities in facilities. It also examines what can be done to encourage retention and participation.

The full report also touches on what health means to consumers and perceptions around how the sector is supporting people with long-term health conditions.

Across the sample, each individual was asked what activities they take part in and how often they do them (see Figure 1).

From January 2024, walking was the most popular activity, with 69 per cent of the sample walking at least twice a week, 86 per cent at least every two weeks and 90 per cent monthly.

Gym attendance, including exercise classes, attracted 18 per cent of the sample to participate twice a week, 30 per cent at least every two weeks and 34 per cent at least every month, with 59 per cent of the sample never undertaking these activities.

Running attracted 17 per cent twice weekly, 33 per cent every two weeks and 38 per cent monthly, while 53 per cent said they never run.

Swimming attracted 7 per cent of the sample twice a week and 21 per cent every fortnight, with 29 per cent going at least once a month, while 48 per cent of people in the sample never swim.

Online home exercise attracted 18 per cent twice a week, 32 per cent every two weeks and 37 per cent monthly, with around 53 per cent never working out at home.

Offline home activity engaged 24 per cent twice a week, 39 per cent every two weeks and 44 per cent every month, with 46 per cent never exercising offline at home.

The overlap between exercising in the gym and at home was not recorded.

What motivates people?
To understand why consumers choose to become members of facilities, current members were asked what motivates them to attend (Figure 2). The researchers gave a wide range of options for respondents to choose from, however, five main motivations emerged:

82% To improve/maintain my physical strength and fitness

79% To improve my mental health and wellbeing, including managing anxiety or depression

75% To improve my overall confidence

75% To improve/maintain my physical appearance

67% To improve my sleep

These results show the holistic benefits of physical activity, with responses such as improving confidence and bettering sleep levels indicating that users are attending facilities to benefit their mental, not just physical wellbeing.

Interestingly, while these motivations have remained consistent across each of the survey waves, their weighted value has adjusted slightly.

For example, in September 2022 – potentially due to the impact of the pandemic – ‘improving mental health’ was the most popular reason given at 81 per cent, a score it hit again in January 2024. However, ‘improving and maintaining physical strength and fitness’ has seen its score increase from 79 per cent to 83 per cent over that time-frame, taking the lead since March 2023.

The benefits of physical activity for mental health and wellbeing are increasingly recognised and it’s reassuring to see that this is a highly motivating factor for consumers.

All motivations are tracked quarterly with the results enabling decision-makers to better understand how operators can tap into these to attract new members, as well as ensuring value for those already engaged in our sector.

What are the main barriers?
Alongside looking at motivations for attending, it’s important to analyse the main barriers consumers face when they consider participating. These questions were asked of former members and those who have never been members (see Figure 3).

The research team found that cost is the main perceived barrier, with this being the most selected reason consistently across each of the time points surveyed. With the rising cost of living and consumers facing choices for their disposable income, researchers are watching to see how the results of this question change over time.

Interestingly, the data from January 2024 shows the barrier relating to cost declining by a couple of percentage points and during the planned waves of polling it will be essential to see if this continues on a downward trend.

Other barriers for non- and former members included the feeling that there was ‘no need for a membership’, ‘not being interested in a membership’, a ‘lack of confidence’ and ‘feeling uncomfortable in a gym or leisure facility’. This initial report outlines some of the ways these barriers can be overcome.

Tracking these barriers across each of the quarterly waves will be essential to understanding what currently holds people back from engaging with the sector.

Long-term health conditions
Across the physical activity sector in the UK there’s a clear awareness that focusing on health is a positive way our sector can demonstrate the role facilities are playing in supporting the national health crisis. In January 2024, extra questions were added to the Savanta survey to enable researchers to better understand consumers perceptions and understandings of health, as well as their knowledge of programmes within facilities that could support them.

In January 2024, respondents with a health condition were asked whether they knew of programmes at their local gym or leisure facility that could help them manage their condition – 17 per cent of respondents with a condition were aware of these but 68 per cent were unaware and 15 per cent said they didn’t know.

While there’s a greater awareness among those who are members of a facility and have a health condition (in comparison to non-members), there’s also work to be done to ensure that both members and non-members with health conditions are aware of services being delivered at facilities near where they live that could provide the support they need.

In order to understand the preference of those with a health condition when it comes to where they would like to receive support, a further question was included, which asked: “Would you prefer to receive support for your condition at a hospital/surgery, or at your local gym or leisure centre?”

Overall, 35 per cent chose hospital and 21 per cent a local gym or leisure centre (Figure 4).

When these results were broken down by membership status, receiving support at a gym or leisure centre was favoured by 40 per cent of current gym members, suggesting that current members are more aware of the benefits gyms and leisure centres are providing for those with long-term conditions and feel comfortable accessing support in these spaces.

This is the first wave of this questioning and the consequent iterations of the quarterly polling will help us to build on these findings and understand how perceptions grow and develop.

Conclusions
This first report from Savanta and UK Active lays the foundations for understanding consumers’ current attitudes towards the UK’s physical activity sector and as quarterly data is collected, it will provide a deeper understanding of what matters to people when it comes to their health and fitness, as well as the choices they make in relation to using facilities.

As the sector continues to play a significant role as part of the national health agenda, this consumer engagement polling will support the building of market intelligence that can be used by operators and suppliers within the sector, as well as providing useful material for political engagement. The findings will also help to inform UK Active’s work areas and support the organisation’s Vision 2030 mission to get five million more people active by 2030.

Dr Matthew Wade is head of research and development at UK Active. Georgie Poole is senior head of marketing, events and engagement at UK Active

More: HCMmag.com/savanta