75% of SA middle class is in good health, study reveals
One can be forgiven for thinking that the lockdown has made us lazier. Boardroom meetings became Zoom calls with shirts and pyjama pants, and gyms were closed for months, so our health and fitness is probably at an all-time low, right? Well, not quite.
According to a survey done by BrandMapp, 75% of South Africa’s middle class is in good health due to the pandemic. Confused? This is why.
The pandemic put a spotlight on the value of a healthy lifestyle, as lockdowns and social distancing have curbed people’s abilities to go to gym on a regular basis and to participate in sports.
However, with the shutting down of gyms and the decrease in gym and sports memberships, something interesting happened.
There was a large increase in sales of home gym equipment, and many looked at online training and classes to keep their fitness game up.
“Pre-pandemic, in 2019, we measured 31% of adults being ‘interested in gym’ with 22% actually partaking in gym activity. We also found that 31% of people didn’t do any exercise. Fast-forward to the beginning of 2021, and we found 26% of adults said they were ‘interested in gym’ with just 19% actually taking part,” said Brandon de Kock, BrandMapp Director of storytelling.
“However, the percentage of adults who say they do not do any exercise dropped to 26%. First of all, that’s interesting because for 75% of adults to say they do exercise is not a bad result.”
The great news is that these changing habits could continue into the future.
De Kock continues: “This data reveals a ‘Covid moment’ where we wanted to stay fit and exercise in some way. Adding to the challenge for gyms was that we were already in an economic downturn when Covid hit, and many mid-income adults took an economic beating.”
“It stands to reason that a monthly gym contract would be easy to live without, even temporarily, if you’re trying to trim down a household budget. And you can replace it with free physical activities, such as walking out the front door into the sunshine or hiking in the fresh air.”
The survey also noted the age continuum of South African gym-goers. According to the survey, millennials and Gen Z are the most likely groups to be working out in the gym.
The survey also saw a 10% increase in people saying that they believe that being fit and leading a healthy lifestyle is important and a 7% increase in agreement with the statement that ‘it is important to dress well and look good’.
“As we emerge into a new consumer reality, let’s hope this trend continues because when you think about it, the health of the middle-class is not just relevant to the fitness industry, but to the wide range of interconnected industries from government and corporate health sectors and health insurance, to the overall sports, sports nutrition, sporting goods, and apparel industries,” said de Kock.
-IOL
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