A change that predates Gen Z
Istat’s historical reconstruction puts continuous sports participation in Italy at 2.6% in 1959 and 30.3% in 2025. Its 2024 survey, defined for people aged three and over, reports 28.7% in continuous sport and 37.5% when occasional practice is included. Each comparison needs attention to the population and definition.
This long rise cannot be assigned to one generation. Time, income, education, access, women’s participation and ideas about exercise for health all changed.
An earlier fitness boom
The CDC describes a US fitness boom in the 1980s, reminding us that fitness culture predates social media. It does not establish the same economic cause today: the United States then and Italy now differ in markets, habits and population.
To test whether a downturn encourages or deters physical activity, we would need comparable groups over time, activity costs, disposable incomes and access. Dates that coincide do not prove a cause.
A more revealing gap
In 2025, Istat reports continuous sport among 42.5% of graduates versus 12% of less educated people, partly reflecting age differences. A broad trend can coexist with a large social divide.
The signal to watch is whether growth reaches people with fewer resources and less served places. That tells us more than gym memberships alone.