44 percent of Americans make New Year's resolutions, study shows


Save Story

Show 1 more video

Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — If you use the change of the calendar to make goals, you join 44 percent of Americans who do the same, according to a Marist Poll.

The poll, which asked an open-ended question to determine the most popular resolutions, found that resolution-making is up slight from 2013's 40 percent — and younger Americans are more likely to make a vow to change than older Americans.

4 ways to get healthier
by Carole Mikita

Is 2014 the year you're going to improve the way you feel? Doctors say you need only make four simple changes: laugh more, get more sleep, exercise a bit, or get a pet.

Laughter

Researchers at the University of Maryland found when people laughed, their blood vessels expanded, causing healthy blood flow.

Sleep

Sleep experts at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute say not sleeping enough can raise your blood pressure and lead to obesity and diabetes. A good night's sleep can fight infection, help your memory, and regulate your sugar levels.

Exercise

Doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say 30 minutes of light exercise five times a week can fight diabetes, back pain, heart problems, even cancer; it can also help you feel younger.

Get a Pet

Researchers say having a pet can ward off mental illness and help cut down on stress — and some animals are better than a treadmill. A University of Missouri-Columbia study found when obese and sedentary people were given a dog, they lost an average of 14 pounds a year without dieting.

Email: cmikita@ksl.com

#cmi_story

The poll also concluded that there is almost no consensus on what people want to change about themselves, though the majority of goals are related to improving health. Utahns are focused on health and fitness as well, but their methods of achieving the goals vary.

"My New Year's resolution for this year would be to play basketball about one and a half times more than I did this year," Scott Stevens said.

Of those making resolutions, 12 percent want to spend less money or save more; 12 percent want to be a better person; and 12 percent told Marist pollsters they want to exercise more. A slightly lower percentage of people (11 percent) will resolve to lose weight, pollsters said.

Rounding out the poll are other health oriented options such as quitting smoking (8 percent) and eating healthier (8 percent).

"My New Year's Resolution is to actually give up Starbucks," Corissa Wiest said, while holding a red Starbucks cup. "It might be impossible, but I'm going to try."

Some Utahns told KSL News they had not yet decided on a goal, or would be making different kinds of goals.

"I do not have a resolution. I'm working on it," Kristin Yoshimura said. "I have a bucket list, you could say. I want to travel to at least three new places this year."

The good news is that making a resolution just might change you for the better. Over 70 percent of Americans polled who made a resolution last year said they kept it.

What are you resolving to improve in 2014? Tell us on the comment board or use the hashtag #Resolvein2014 on Twitter.


Natalie Wardel is the social media director for KSL News. She can be contacted at nwardel@ksl.com, or on Twitter @nataliewardel.

Related links

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

UtahLifestyle
Natalie Wardel

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast