Exercise Your Right to Vote on November 6 – and Exercise Your Body All Year Round
NEW YORK – Nov. 1, 2018 – With the midterms just days away, Americans are showing increasing strain against the backdrop of a contentious political climate – and it’s clearly impacting our personal lives and habits. According to a poll conducted by YouGov and commissioned by Daily Burn, Democrats are 50% more likely than Republicans to say they’re eating their feelings as a result of the current political climate. They may be packing in more calories but it looks like they’re trying to work it off, too. Democrats – perhaps putting in extra leg days in hopes of kicking GOP control of the House to the curb – are over 40% more likely than Republicans to say that they’re exercising more.
“Exercise is critical in helping people deal with outside stress, whether it’s from work, personal life, or politics,” said Tricia Han, CEO of Daily Burn. “We wanted to get a sense for how these stressors are affecting exercise and other behavioral habits across party lines. While it’s surprising to see that across both aisles lower intensity exercises were more likely, no matter what the exercise is – HIIT, yoga, biking, etc. – pumping those endorphins is always a good idea.”
Toning Up the Midsection Before Election
Over half of Democrats (55%), along with 45% of Republicans and 44% of Independents, fess up that the political climate has influenced their exercise regime.
- Democrats are over 40% more likely than Republicans to say that they’re exercising more.
- Independents (21%) are less likely than either Democrats (29%) or Republicans (28%) to say the political climate has specifically led to them exercising less.
Exercises Winning the Popular Vote
When those who exercise are asked what types of workouts they’ve done in the past month, majorities of Democrats (60%), Republicans (57%), and Independents (59%) alike embrace gentle exercise, such as walking, hiking, and aerobics, etc.
- Many across party lines are going the distance. Over three in ten (34% Democrats, 31% Republicans, 36% Independents) have incorporated cardio, such as running, spinning/cycling, rowing, or ellipticals into their exercise regime
- Roughly one in four (24% Democrats, 27% Republicans, 27% Independents) have embraced some form of strength training.
- And Democrats and Independents are significantly more likely than Republicans to say they’ve participated in yoga, Pilates, or dance in the past 30 days (28% Democrats, 17% Republicans, 24% Independents)
Political Parties’ Palate Before the Ballot
The political climate is also making people reach for other vices.
- Political pain points have been driving Dems to drink more at a 2-to-1 ratio over their counterparts in the GOP.
- Democrats and Republicans alike say the political climate has had an impact on how much they’re using social media (59% Dem, 52% Rep) and binge watching TV/Netflix (57% and 50%, respectively).
Campaigning for Change… in Appearance
Americans have various motivations to exercise. Nearly one in five Democrats (19%) do it to look good naked, compared to 13% of Republicans.
- Strong majorities of Democrats (73%), Republicans (72%) and Independents (73%) alike say they do so in order to be healthy.
- Other top motivations, regardless of affiliation, include to lose weight (51%, 49%, and 50%, respectively) and to live longer (46%, 45%, 48%, respectively).
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by YouGov on behalf of Daily Burn from Oct. 18-22 among 2,485 respondents age 18 and up.
About Daily Burn
Daily Burn is a leading fitness tech brand dedicated to helping all people live better lives through movement and now offers a mobile app dedicated to High Intensity Interval Training — HIIT Workouts by Daily Burn. Daily Burn also provides a popular, daily group class (Daily Burn 365) streamable to any device, plus a library of more than 1,000 on-demand workouts available and taught by certified trainers – everything from cardio to Pilates to bodyweight training – along with personalization tools to help users discover the perfect workout for their goals and fitness level and a supportive and motivating community. The company is headquartered in New York and owned and operated by IAC. Learn more at www.dailyburn.com.