[Survey of Women in their 20s-50s] Approximately Half of Women Feel Hurdles to Gym Attendance. Would "Women-Only" Gyms or Fitness Centers Change Ease of Access?

■ "Cost," "Continuity," and "High Barrier": The Real Psychological Hurdles Women Face When Attending a Gym While more women are considering gym attendance to relieve lack of exercise or maintain their physique, various psychological hurdles exist before taking the first step. Issues include cost, anxiety about being able to continue, and concern about others' perceptions, with specific points varying from person to person. This time, in collaboration with Fitcrew Co., Ltd., we conducted a survey on "psychological hurdles regarding gyms and fitness" targeting 200 women in their 20s to 50s. *When quoting the content of this press release, please take the following actions: ・State that the source is "a survey by NEXER Co., Ltd. and Fitcrew Co., Ltd." ・Include a link to Fitcrew Co., Ltd. (https://www.diet-undeux.jp/) "Survey Overview: Psychological Hurdles Regarding Gyms and Fitness" Survey Method: Online questionnaire Survey Period: March 13 to March 24, 2026 Target Respondents: Women aged 20-50 nationwide Valid Responses: 200 samples Questions: Question 1: Have you ever attended a gym or fitness center? Question 2: Are you interested in gyms or fitness centers? Question 3: Have you ever felt "hurdles" or "resistance" towards attending a gym? Question 4: What were the main points? (Multiple answers allowed) Question 5: If there were "women-only" gyms or fitness centers, do you think it would change how easy it is to attend? Question 6: Please tell us the reason. Question 7: What are the important points you consider when choosing a gym? (Multiple answers allowed) Question 8: Please tell us specifically what points you consider important when choosing a gym. *As a rule, figures are rounded to the second decimal place, so the total may not always be 100%. ■ 82.5% Responded "Never Attended a Gym or Fitness Center" First, we asked if they had ever attended a gym or fitness center. The result was 17.5% for "Yes" and 82.5% for "No." Next, we asked those who answered "No" if they were interested. The result showed that 3.0% were "Very interested" and 16.4% were "Somewhat interested," meaning only about 20% were interested. On the other hand, 22.4% were "Not very interested" and 58.2% were "Not interested at all," totaling about 80% who are currently unenthusiastic about gym attendance. This highlights the current situation where not only have most women never attended a gym, but a large majority are not even interested in the first place. ■ 52.0% Responded "Have Felt Hurdles or Resistance Towards Gym Attendance" Next, we asked if they had ever felt "hurdles" or "resistance" towards attending a gym. The result was 52.0% for "Yes" and 48.0% for "No." This shows that almost half of women harbor some psychological hurdles towards gyms. So, what exactly are these hurdles? We asked those who answered "Yes" about the specific content. The most common response was "High cost" at 73.1%. This was followed by "Anxiety about being able to continue" at 51.0%, and "Feeling that the barrier is high" at 46.2%. We asked specifically what "hurdles" or "resistance" they felt, and here are some examples: What were the main points? ・I'm scared to ask men how to use the equipment. (Woman in her 20s) ・Going is troublesome. Exercise is also troublesome. (Woman in her 20s) ・I care about what others think, but it's not just men's eyes. Even if the meaning is different, I also care about women's eyes. (Woman in her 30s) ・I'm not good at exercise and don't like socializing, so I don't want to use a gym that seems to require communication with other users. (Woman in her 40s) It can be inferred that not only anxiety about cost and continuation, but also the burden of others' gazes and interactions with people are significant. When choosing a gym, not just facilities and fees, but also whether the atmosphere is easy to attend seems to be an important point. ■ 54.8% Responded, "If There Were Women-Only Gyms or Fitness Centers, I Think It Would Change How Easy It Is to Attend" Next, we asked those who answered "Yes" to feeling hurdles or resistance if they thought the ease of attending would change if there were "women-only" gyms or fitness centers. The result showed that 13.5% "Strongly agree" and 41.3% "Somewhat agree," totaling 54.8% who believe that women-only facilities would make it easier to attend. On the other hand, 30.8% "Somewhat disagree" and 14.4% "Strongly disagree." More than half answered "Yes," suggesting that a women-only environment could effectively lower psychological hurdles. We asked for reasons why they thought it would change, and here are some examples: Reasons why it would change ・I feel uneasy in situations where I'm alone with an unfamiliar man. (Woman in her 20s) ・If it's women-only, there are no men, so I feel less anxious about "being judged on my appearance or body shape." (Woman in her 30s) ・Men seem scary, but with other women, everyone can feel safe and work hard together, and even become friends. (Woman in her 30s) ・I still care about the opposite sex's gaze, and I feel like I can't relax. (Woman in her 40s) It is clear that it's not just about a space without men, but also about feeling safe and being able to exercise without worrying about others' perceptions. The sense of security in the environment seems to play a significant role as a trigger to start exercising. ■ 80.0% Responded That "Fees" Are Important When Choosing a Gym Finally, we asked those who answered "Yes" to having attended a gym or fitness center what points they consider important when choosing a gym. The most common response was "Fees" at 80.0%. This was followed by "Convenience of location" at 68.6%, "Operating hours" at 34.3%, and "Cleanliness of facilities" at 31.4%. We asked specifically what points they consider important when choosing a gym, and here are some examples: Please tell us specifically what points you consider important when choosing a gym. ・Whether the fee structure is easy to continue with. (Woman in her 20s) ・Location and cleanliness are important for continuing to attend. (Woman in her 30s) ・It's important that it's easy to go to and easy to continue. (Woman in her 40s) ・Clean, close to home, and reasonable. (Woman in her 40s) ・Definitely close to home and available 24 hours. (Woman in her 40s) From the voices of experienced users, it is clear that "fees," "location," and "cleanliness" are commonly emphasized. Being in an easy-to-access location, with reasonable fees, and a clean environment appear to be practical conditions for long-term continuation of exercise habits. ■ Summary This survey revealed that approximately half of women in their 20s to 50s feel psychological hurdles towards gym attendance. The most common concern was "high cost," and feelings like "anxiety about being able to continue" and "feeling that the barrier is high" also appear to be significant obstacles to starting. Furthermore, it was found that women-only gyms and fitness centers are perceived as a choice that leads to a sense of security and increases ease of attendance. Choosing an environment that is easy to attend without strain and can be used with peace of mind may be the first step towards maintaining a long-term exercise habit. ・State that the source is "a survey by NEXER Co., Ltd. and Fitcrew Co., Ltd." ・Include a link to Fitcrew Co., Ltd. (https://www.diet-undeux.jp/) [About Fitcrew Co., Ltd.] Head Office: Chuo Building 1F, 1-13-9 Utsubohonmachi, Nishi-ku, Osaka 550-0004 Phone Number: 050-5526-2335 Business Activities: Training gyms, personal trainer training schools [About NEXER Co., Ltd.] Head Office: Rise Arena Building 11F, 4-5-2 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-0013 Representative Director: Yuya Miyata URL: https://www.nexer.co.jp Business Activities: Internet research, SEO, web branding, review content, real shop support, website production