Perhaps it’s due to the unpredictability of 2021, but the percentage of Americans who say they will make New Year’s resolutions for 2022 has dropped from the past two years. This year, just 29% of Americans say they will be making New Year’s resolutions, down from 43% a year ago.
Last year, those who were hopeful (about seven in 10 Americans) were far more likely to make New Year’s resolutions than those who were mostly discouraged when looking ahead to the next 12 months. This year, though the percentage of Americans who are hopeful hasn’t declined, they do seem to be more cautious about making New Year’s resolutions. This year, just 30% in the “hopeful’ category will make New Year’s resolutions — down from 46% twelve months ago — though they are still a little bit more likely to make resolutions than those who are discouraged.
As to what resolutions Americans are making, losing weight or improving their health top the list, followed by improving their finances.
This poll was conducted by telephone December 14-22, 2021 among a random sample of 1,009 adults nationwide. Data collection was conducted on behalf of CBS News by SSRS of Glen Mills, PA. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones.
The poll employed a random digit dial methodology. For the landline sample, a respondent was randomly selected from all adults in the household. For the cell sample, interviews were conducted with the person who answered the phone.
Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish using live interviewers. The data have been weighted to reflect U.S. Census figures on demographic variables. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. The error for subgroups may be higher and is available by request. The margin of error includes the effects of standard weighting procedures which enlarge sampling error slightly. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
