S&PAProfessional / Winter 2020-21
SECOND LOCKDOWN SURVEY BRINGS POSITIVE NEWS By DeeDee Doke Gym and leisure centre users overwhelmingly (98%) report they plan to return to the facilities immediately or in the new year following the second national lockdown in November, according to the results of a post-Lockdown 2 survey to gauge consumer confidence in gyms and leisure centres.
However, the impact of the second lockdown on activity levels was evident in the survey results, as 69% of respondents said they were less active since its start at the beginning of November. Roughly a quarter (26.5%) said they were about as active as since the start. Nearly 22% said they were more active. The ‘National Post
Lockdown 2 Recovery Survey’, sponsored by Active IQ, followed the lines of Leisure-net’s initial survey last April. The latest aimed to judge consumer confidence following a second spell of closure for UK health clubs and leisure centres. The survey questioned 33,544 customers across 771 facilities in the UK, and the results can be cross-
referenced by age, gender, operator type and region. The initial survey results were “widely used to inform decision making, lobby local and central government, and shape re-opening guidance by organisations such as Sport England, ukactive, Community Leisure UK and CIMSPA”, said Dave Monkhouse, Leisure-net director. “Operators up and down the country also used the results to inform their decisions, maximise the impact of re-opening and reframe post-Covid activity.” The latest survey, Monkhouse said, “provides further evidence to underpin our sector’s campaign for recognition as an essential service, as well as supporting operators with their decisions on when and how to reopen their facilities”. “The new consumer confidence scores from this second survey will be used… to inform the modelling of new projections for the sector.” During the second lockdown, walking was the most favoured physical activity by 48% of respondents, online/ YouTube classes by 12%, jogging/running by 10%, cycling by 10% and indoor activities by themselves by 9%. Asked if they had purchased any home exercise equipment in the last eight months, 69% said yes, with 31% having 8
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