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2014 New Year Goals & Resolutions Poll

AARP conducted an online poll to gather data on Americans’ thoughts on goals & resolutions in the new year, the types of changes they were planning to make, as well as how they planned to keep track of their changes as they implemented them. 

Key findings include:

  • Only 37% of US adults say that they set new goals at the beginning of each year.
  • While 14% of adults say they share their goals with friends and family, 30% of US adults do not share their goals or resolutions with others. 
  • One quarter of Americans are planning on making health/fitness type changes in the new year. Women are more likely than men to say they are making a health/fitness change (32% vs. 22%).
  • When asked how much money they spend on their goals or resolutions, two-thirds of respondents say they spend no money. A further eleven percent say they spend under $100 and only 4% spend $100-500. 
  • When asked what one thing they are going to do for themselves in the new year, health and fitness related activities top the list. 

Data were collected via online survey using Google Consumer Surveys. Google Consumer Surveys interviews a stratified sample of internet users from a diverse group of approximately 80 publisher sites who allow Google to ask one or two questions of selected visitors as they seek to view content on the site. The survey was fielded from December 13 to December 14, 2013, and was fielded until a sample of at least 1,000 online US adults age 18 and older were obtained for all 5 questions. The data are weighted by inferred age, gender, and location to all internet users in the US. For more information, contact G. Oscar Anderson at ganderson@aarp.org.

 

Suggested Citation:

Anderson, G. Oscar, and Patty David. 2014 New Year Goals & Resolutions Poll. Washington, DC: AARP Research, February 2014. https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00074.001