Influence of Gender, Race and Generation on College Students’ Exercise Motivation Levels: A Generational Comparison

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate exercise motivation of a Generation Z sample and to compare exercise motivation between Generation Z and Y. College students from Generation Z (N = 1,457) and Y (N = 2,199) completed the exercise motivation inventory. A two time-point cross sectional quasi-experimental design was implemented for this study. The strongest exercise motivators for Generation Z college students were strength/endurance, ill-health avoidance, and positive health. Generation Z participants scored statistically significantly higher across all subscales of the EMI-2 (exercise motivation inventory-2) when compared to Generation Y. Understanding generational differences in exercise motivation can help in tailoring effective physical activity interventions.