“treadmill” by blacklerphotos is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
By Nellie Salmon
In recent years there has been an obvious trend that Generation Z (people born between 1997-2012) are going out to party less and prioritising fitness and wellbeing more. Many young adults are now opting for running over clubbing.
Lewis Williams-Owen, sport conditioning, rehabilitation and massage student at Cardiff Metroploitan University said: “After studying and doing a lot of fitness myself, I can understand why more people are choosing to focus on this instead of going out for the health benefits, but I still think that going out is important as it’s part of being young and having fun”.
In a study by The Gym Group called Gen Z fitness pulse report 2025, statistics show that 87% of Gen Z say working out improves or significantly improves their mental health.
Third year psychology student at Liverpool John Moores University, Seren Bailey, 21, said: “So many young people are now focused on mental health and wellness, and fitness is a good way to keep a positive mindset”.
Alongside using the gym to improve health and fitness, The Gym Groups reports that 44% of Gen Z exercise specifically to socialise with friends. This helps to explain why traditional social spaces such as pubs and clubs are becoming less central to how many young people choose to spend time together.
Personal Trainer, Nathaniel Williams aged 28, said “I’ve noticed an increase in the amount of young people coming to the gym over the past few years. It’s also become a way to for young people to socialise with friends”.
Social Media Impact
For many young people, social media also has a big impact on this trend as fitness content, workout routines, and influencers promoting a healthy lifestyle are flooding feeds.
Other factors as to why Gen Z are choosing to go out drinking less is the rising cost of going out making a gym membership seem better value for money. With a monthly gym membership from The Gym Group starting at £24.99 and the average pint in the UK as of May 2026 costing £5.17-£5.50.
There is also a general decline in Gen Zs alcohol consumption compared to previous generations as more young people are choosing to drink less or at all. Drinkaware reported that 49% of young adults are now choosing low to moderate alcohol consumption and this statistic has been nearly doubling since 2018.
This doesn’t mean that Gen Z has abandoned going out to pubs, bars, and clubs all together although they no longer are the primary social space for younger generations.
This audio further explains why Gen Z are replacing party culture with gym culture.
