(NEW YORK) — Gyms were one of the first businesses to close when the pandemic lockdown began, and for good reason.   No one wants to be around a bunch of huffing, puffing strangers when there’s a contagious virus being spread by just breathing, and working out in a face mask isn’t very convenient. 

A new survey further highlights the obvious: it’s all continued bad news for gym owners.

The athletic shoe review website RunRepeat surveyed 5,055 gym members around the world between August 1 and 13, and found only about 31% of members had returned to their gym since the lockdowns began. 

Even worse news for fitness centers: a little over 59% of members have either canceled or are considering canceling their membership, 20% vs. 40%, respectively.

Gym memberships are evaporating the most in the U.K.  In America, where the states decide what businesses can open or must stay closed, Massachusetts saw the largest decline in gym memberships, at around 30%, while Ohio had the smallest, about 11%.

The same survey also finds consumer confidence in gyms has decreased since March, with 22.35% fewer members than expected by this point having returned to their gyms, and nearly 23% more members than expected in March having already canceled their memberships, or considering doing so.

A previous RunRepeat international survey, conducted the last week in April, found that nearly 47% of 10,824 gym members questioned said they probably wouldn’t return to their gyms when the pandemic lockdown ends.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.