BTS ARMY most loyal fandom in US: survey

BTS fans gather during the group's 10th Anniversary Festa at Seoul's Yeouido Hangang Park on June 17. AP-Yonhap

By Dong Sun-hwa

K-pop titan BTS' global fan base, ARMY, is the most devoted fandom in the U.S., according to a recent survey conducted by local travel information provider Upgraded Points. It asked 3,192 Americans how far they would travel to see their favorite stars and how much they would pay to attend their concerts.

Upgraded Points revealed that ARMY garnered a loyalty score of 88.4 out of 100, edging out the fandoms of the late singer Michael Jackson (76.8 percent) and singer-songwriter Elton John (66.4), among others. It also outperformed the fan bases of pop stars Lady Gaga (63.3 percent) and Taylor Swift (60.0).

BTS followers are also willing to travel an average of 2,040 miles to attend a concert performed by the septet, Upgraded Points added.

“This is the farthest of any fan base,” it explained. “BTS fans are also the most likely to follow them from city to city (62.5 percent), compared to just 32.2 percent of fans who would go to multiple cities to see their favorite artist.”

The survey also showed that BTS fans were willing to spend $500 on average to go to the group's concert. Fans of Lady Gaga and Harry Styles said they would pay $405 and $356, respectively.

BTS recently held the “2023 BTS FESTA” at Hangang Park in Yeouido, Seoul, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its debut, attracting some 400,000 fans. On July 9, the Grammy-nominated group is set to release a book titled, “Beyond the Story: 10-year Record of BTS” that chronicles its history.