The new year is a “fresh start,” allowing people to set goals for themselves. The most common goals are mainly health-related, things like weight loss and dieting. The other majority is financial changes, saving money, and spending less in general.
The website https://www.sunlife.co.uk did a study on 2,000 people (surrounding 10 cities in the United Kingdom) on what their resolutions are. They claim that there was an increase in at least one resolution (75%) than in 2023 (21%) and 2022 (14%).
Most of the resolutions in the study are typical stereotypes. Things like exercising, reducing stress, dieting, and organizing better. Some “unique-er” ones like less alcohol, reading more, getting out of debt, booking a dream holiday, and seeing family more. All are health-related, both mental and physical.
After surveying Sultana High School students, most resolutions were mental health-based. Few students had no resolutions and fewer set personal goals
Things along the lines of school improvement like better grades, all A’s, and getting better at after-school classes. Mental Health and personal improvements consisted of being nicer, improving mental health in general, not being emotional, studying more, managing money better, and gratitude. One said losing weight, the most common New Year’s resolution. For personal goals, reading, making new friends, getting more piercings, becoming musically inclined, finding a job, and getting a partner.
Some students feel unenthusiastic about making resolutions. Many students feel that no one ever goes through with their resolutions. While some think it is a good excuse to start something new or change for the better.
Andrea Castagnola, a teacher at Sultana Highschool claims, “I think people look at things as in black and white and dismiss progress for absolute compilations and so with my goals for the year I always try to remember the phrase “something is better than nothing”…takes 21 days to build a habit … it’s like building muscles”
Zero Alianna Guillen, a sophomore at Sultana, expressed, “You don’t need them, you’re not going to do them, so who cares?”
In the U.S. in 2023, only 37% of Americans had at least one resolution; according to forbes.com. They also give statistics on how long New Year’s resolutions last. The article explains that “…average resolutions last just 3.74 months. Only 8% of respondents tend to stick with their goals for one month, while 22% last two months, 22% last three months and 13% last four months.”
