Do you like to walk? If your answer is no, you are 1 in 5 New Yorkers who would prefer to drive for five minutes rather than walk.
A study by BarBend.com has shown that the population rather find the easier and fastest route somewhere and 22% of people in New York admit that they rather drive somewhere for 5 minutes than just walk. This number compares to a national average of 32%. 41% of people feel like they don’t walk enough each day.
Walking has multiple health benefits — it will improve cardiovascular health, alleviate stress and improve sleep quality. It can also provide a perfect opportunity to clear your head. And you can be more environmentally friendly by choosing to walk, you can save on gas costs and reduce harmful car engine emissions.
The report found that men walk more than women, on an average of 3,789 steps per day compared to 2,902 steps for women.
Everyone knows that winter in New York is not the warmest, and study has shown that cold weather affects people’s choice on walking or driving. If the weather outside 32°F, 60% of responders said that they would not walk. There are much more people not wanting to walk compared to 8% of people who still wouldn’t walk at the temperature of 59°F.
A final example from the study found that 31% of respondents would skip a short flight of stairs, and rather take an escalator to the floor they need to be.
Max Whiteside from BarBend.com understands that living in a big city sometimes doesn’t allow us to fit in a routine of exercising, but choosing to walk somewhere would be very beneficial for us and our environment. “It’s great for our physical and mental health, and gets us outdoors and breathing fresh air,” he said.
