The Belonging Premium · 2024 data
Same gym. Same price. Belonging added.
Four metrics, measured two ways: members who use their gym as a transaction, vs members who use it as a community. Every single comparison tips in the same direction. Data from Strava's 2024 global survey of 5,000+ active people and IHRSA industry research.
Churn rate
100%
Baseline cancellation likelihood
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Churn rate
44%
Group class members are 56% less likely to cancel.
IHRSA, 2024
Loyalty
33%
Of solo gym users consider themselves "loyal" members
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Loyalty
88%
Of group exercise participants consider themselves loyal — 2.7× higher.
SmartHealthClubs / IHRSA, 2025
Gen Z · Why they join
To get fit
The assumed reason most operators programme for
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Gen Z · Why they join
55%
Of Gen Z say social connection was the main reason they joined a fitness group.
Strava Year in Sport, 2024
Preferred place to meet people
Bar
The traditional social hotspot — now in decline for Gen Z
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Preferred place to meet people
4×
Gen Z are four times more likely to want to meet people working out than at a bar.
Strava Year in Sport, 2024
Community isn't an extra you add on top. It's the thing that makes the numbers work. Operators still selling "access to equipment" are competing on the wrong axis — especially for the generation that's about to become their biggest customer.
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