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Strava has announced the release of its Year In Sport: The Trend Report, highlighting the global trends among active people across generations.
According to the report, Gen Z’s behaviours and habits vary from other generations, but they also have different motivators, barriers and interests when it comes to staying active.
Strava conducted a global survey of 6,990 active people drawn from both Strava’s community of more than 120 million athletes and a random sampling of active people both on and off the Strava platform.
The findings, coupled with activity data from Strava in 2023, give insights into the trends shaping the world of exercise and exploration.
Across generations, Strava athletes say their number one reason for exercising with others is social connection.
More than half of Strava athletes say they’re most motivated by friends or family members who exercise – and 77% of Gen Z athletes say they feel more connected to others when seeing their friends or family’s activities on Strava.
At the bottom of the list of motivators? Celebrities and influencers – even for Gen Z and Millennials.
Gen Z is also the most social, being 29% more likely than Millennials to work out with another person at least some of the time.
This may be due in part to healthy competition, as Gen Z are 31% less likely to exercise primarily for their health than their Millennial or Gen X counterparts, but they are the most likely to exercise in the pursuit of athletic performance.
When it comes to barriers to exercise and keeping up a consistent routine, more than two-thirds of athletes across generations cited a lack of time due to work demands as a top hurdle.
Even so, 39% of Gen Z Strava athletes started a new job and 30% relocated in 2023 but they were 32% more likely than other generations to say they’re fitter than last year.
Zipporah Allen, chief business officer at Strava, said: “We know that Gen Z behaviours reflect their values and the influence of living in an increasingly digital world, which, for this group, means they are ultimately centred around activism, community, and connection.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen Gen Z as the primary source of community growth through new clubs on Strava. They’ve also contributed to the increase in sports like running, despite having the most barriers to staying consistent.
“This shows exercise will be a central value for this generation, which is why they’re already turning to Strava as the key platform to stay motivated and connected.”
While connection rose to the top globally, there are other key motivators and barriers identified among active people:
Pets get people out the door: 76% of Strava athletes with pets say their furry companions help get them out the door when they wouldn’t go otherwise – and that exercising with their pet is more fun.
Safety and household responsibilities can be barriers to exercise: Men on Strava are 13% more likely than women to cite household responsibilities as an obstacle. Women are 9% more likely than men to cite a lack of safe places to exercise.
Climate change is impacting exercise habits: 75% of athletes on Strava said extreme heat affected their exercise plans in 2023 – and poor air quality affected 27%.
Playlists are a trusted workout partner, but might lack variety: 43% of Gen X athletes on Strava say they’ve been listening to the same workout music for years.
