Commitment issues
Well, January has rolled around again and many of us are using the start of the new year to get underway with all of the improvements and targets we thought about, but ultimately spent a lot of time avoiding, last year.
Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, for example, is reportedly giving up political predictions, whilst Ryan Seacrest wants to get comfortable with experiencing eight minutes of “stillness” and “nothing”.
Data from YouGov suggests most people opt for something a little simpler, with 37% of Americans diving into 2023 with some kind of resolution. Resolvers use the fresh start to spearhead improvement across all areas of their lives from finances to relationships — but one broad category, personal health, is the most popular goal.
Been there, done that
Exercising more, for example, was adopted by 20% of American adults aged 18-29, with a similar proportion of 65+ year-olds aiming to do the same. Losing weight and eating healthier were also common objectives across generations.
But physical health goals aside, the data shows a wide divergence between young and old resolvers; 25% of under 30s set "being happy" as a goal in the new year, compared to just 10% of those over 65. Indeed, younger respondents were generally more likely to look for self improvement in the new year, while older generations — perhaps wise to the fact that habits are hard to build — were more sanguine about their current lifestyle.
