As Americans head towards the new year, many are resolving to make changes to their lives in 2024. A new YouGov poll finds that for Americans making New Year’s resolutions, their top priorities are finances, physical health, and mental health.
One-third (34%) of U.S. adult citizens plan to make New Year’s resolutions or set a goal for 2024. Adults under 30 (52%) are the most likely to do so, followed by 30- to 44-year-olds (44%). Fewer 45 -to 64-year-olds (27%) and people 65 and older (18%) will set New Year’s resolutions.
The most common resolution among Americans this year is saving more money: 23% are setting this goal. Around one in five U.S. adult citizens is resolving to start doing each of the following in 2024: be happy (22%), exercise more (21%), improve their physical health (21%), eat healthier (20%), improve mental health (19%) or lose weight (19%). Fewer adults are resolving to move (7%), pursue a new hobby (8%), or get a new job (9%).
These results are similar to those of a YouGov poll conducted last year, which found that 20% of Americans had resolved to improve their physical health in 2023 and 20% had resolved to save more money.
Among adults under 30, the most common 2024 resolutions are saving more money (37%) and improving mental health (35%). Three in 10 have set resolutions around each of the following: being happy (30%), eating healthier (29%), and exercising more (29%).
Among Americans between the ages of 30 and 44, 32% are resolving to be happy and 28% are resolving to exercise more. While the majority of 45- to 64-year-olds are not setting resolutions, those who are doing so are most likely to be focused on improving physical health (19% of all 45- to 64-year-olds), saving more money (19%), or losing weight (18%). Americans 65 and older are also largely not setting resolutions, but 15% are resolving to lose weight and 15% are resolving to exercise more.
Though women and men are similarly likely to have made New Year’s resolutions — 33% and 36%, respectively — there are some differences in what they resolve to do. Women are more likely than men to resolve to improve physical health (25% vs. 17%), save more money (25% vs. 20%), lose weight (24% vs. 14%), and focus on spiritual matters (15% vs. 9%). Men are more likely than women to say their resolution is quitting a bad habit (15% vs. 9%).
Among Americans who are making New Year’s resolutions, 36% think it’s very likely they’ll keep their resolution through 2024. Another 53% think it’s somewhat likely; relatively few say it’s not very likely (6%) or not likely at all (1%) that they will keep their resolution. Men (40%) are more likely than women (31%) to say it’s very likely they will keep their resolutions.
— Taylor Orth and Carl Bialik contributed to this article
Related:
- How many Americans are sticking to their New Year’s resolutions in 2023?
- What are Americans’ New Year’s resolutions for 2023?
- Tracker: How often Americans exercise
See the results for this YouGov poll
Methodology: The YouGov poll was conducted online on December 11 - 14, 2023 among 1,000 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel using sample matching. A random sample (stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was selected from the 2019 American Community Survey. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given prior to November 1, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (33% Democratic, 31% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4%.
Image: Getty (Alexandr Kolesnikov)
