Interesting New Year’s Resolution Statistics
This article was originally published December 2008
Early this week I received an email from a researcher at a major national TV talk show. They are doing a show on New Year’s Resolutions and saw my article on the topic.
They wanted to know if I had more details on the statistics referenced in the article.
I went back to the research we did with the help of Opinion Corporation of Princeton, NJ, and found the following interesting tid bits. The survey has a margin of error of 3%.
- 45% of Americans usually set New Year’s Resolutions; 17% infrequently set resolutions; 38% absolutely never set resolutions.
- Only 8% of people are always successful in achieving their resolutions. 19% achieve their resolutions every other year. 49% have infrequent success. 24% (one in four people) NEVER succeed and have failed on every resolution every year. That means that 3 out of 4 people almost never succeed.
- Of those who do set resolutions (these add to more than 100% because some people set multiple resolutions):
- 34% set resolutions related to money
- 38% set resolutions related to weight
- 47% set resolutions related to self-improvement or education
- 31% set resolutions related to relationships
- It appears that the younger you are, the more likely you are to achieve your resolutions
- 39% of those in their twenties achieve their resolutions every year or every other year
- Less than 15% of those over 50 achieve their resolutions every year or every other year
- The less happy you are, the more likely you are to set New Year’s Resolutions. This is especially true for those who set money-related resolutions: 41% are not happy, 34% are moderately happy, and 25% are happy.
- And here’s the punchline – There is no correlation between happiness and resolution setting/success. People who achieve their resolutions every year are NO happier than those who do not set resolutions or who are unsuccessful in achieving them.
What Does This Really Mean?
Of course numbers only represent averages and do not reflect on YOUR personal situation. However, there are a few questions you may want to ponder as we inch closer towards New Year’s Eve:
- What kind of New Year’s Resolutions do you typically set (money, health, self-improvement, or relationship-oriented)?
- Why do you set these particular resolutions?
- What do you hope to gain by achieving these resolutions?
- What will you do to be more successful (than the typical person)?
- Do you believe you will be happier in a year if you are successful in achieving your resolutions? If so, be aware that this is rarely the case – your attitude is more important than the results.
- And finally, what could you do to improve your level of happiness TODAY, rather than believing your happiness lies in the future?
New Year’s Eve is just around the corner. This year, instead of looking forward to what you want, spend your time reflecting on what you have. This is especially important during these troubling economic times. Listen to a brief MP3 I recorded on the topic of “Wanting What You Have.”
And if you do set a resolution, set a “theme-based” resolution rather than a “goal-based” resolution. This will increase your level of happiness AND participation in the coming year.
I am formulating my theme for the New Year now.
What will be your theme for the New Year?
P.S. If you want to give a great gift that will change the life of a loved one, be sure to check out Goal-Free Living. If you want signed copies, use the contact button above. We can make the book out with a personal inscription.
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[...] This is pure baloney! Studies show that while most people who make resolutions stick with them for a short amount of time (under six months), only 8% are successful in completing their resolutions! [...]
[...] About New Year’s resolutions Dec. 31, 2008 | Posted by Joey at 3:27pm CST I searched the vast archives of this website to see if I had made any public New Year’s resolutions in the past. As it turns out I haven’t, which has to be a great disappointment to you all. I’ve also discovered that most people never keep their resolutions. [...]
[...] sengaja. Judulnya memancing rasa penasaran saya, Goal Free Living, hidup tanpa sasaran? Ternyata hanya 8% orang di Amerika yang sukses mencapai target resolusi yang telah dibuatnya. Mereka banyak yang [...]
[...] resolve to address these problems head on and with intense focus. The problem, of course, is that most New Year’s resolutions fail. So what does that teach us about ourselves? That we are failures? That because of Jesus and lunar [...]
[...] A recent study found that only 8% of Americans consistently achieve their New Years Resolutions. 68% of the respondents are successful some of the time, and 24% have failed on their resolutions every year. You can find more statistics on New Years Resolutions here. [...]
[...] “And here’s the punchline : There is no correlation between happiness and resolution setting/success. People who achieve their resolutions every year are NO happier than those who do not set resolutions or who are unsuccessful in achieving them.” Begitulah hasil temuan Stephen Shapiro disini. [...]
[...] A study on achieving New Years resolutions [...]
[...] Syndicated, Unsyndicated on December 28th, 2008 Recently, author Stephen Shapiro shared some surprising findings on New Year’s Resolutions:It appears that the younger you are, the more likely you are to achieve your resolutions.39% of [...]
[...] According to this website: Only 8% of people are always successful in achieving their resolutions. 19% achieve their resolutions every other year. 49% have infrequent success. 24% (one in four people) NEVER succeed and have failed on every resolution every year. That means that 3 out of 4 people almost never succeed!!! [...]
[...] and not to put any pressure on you, but, according to a 2008 research study done by Steve Shapiro and the Opinion Corporation of Princeton, NJ, 45 percent of Americans usually set New Year’s Resolutions and 17 percent infrequently set them. [...]
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[...] goals they set out to complete each year? According to Stephen Shapiro, author of Goal-Free Living, one in four people who make New Year’s Resolutions never succeed. Perhaps this is because people are lacking the stamina they need to obtain their resolution, which [...]
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[...] fact remains that the vast majority of goals and New Year’s resolutions fail, but before I tell you the fool-proof way to use them I want to explain the problems with [...]
[...] Nine out of ten of people admit to failing to achieve a previous New Year’s resolution. We all start January with high hopes for our [...]
Sure-Fire Way to Achieve Your New Year’s Resolution…
Article provided by Brand-Yourself.com Nine out of ten of people admit to failing to achieve a previous New Year’s resolution. We all start January with high hopes for our own resolutions. Want to know how you can be in……
[...] I found some interesting stats here. [...]
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[...] propósitos para crecer en lo personal, social y profesional. Un estudio de Stephen Shapiro (link) reveló estadísticas interesantes sobre este tema. De quienes se hacen propósitos de año nuevo [...]
[...] to know if it was just I. Do I lack the simple self-discpline to stick with my goals? According to 2008 research study by Stephen Shapiro and the Opinion Research Corporation in Princeton, [...]
[...] > Be happy. “The less happy you are, the more likely you are to set New Year’s Resolutions. This is especially true for those who set money-related resolutions: 41% are not happy, 34% are moderately happy, and 25% are happy.” Source: Steve Shapiro [...]
[...] According to 2008 US statistics presented in Steve Shapiro’s blog: [...]
[...] you want to know what this really means click here. Did you Know… [...]
[...] resolutions (only 8% of Americans actually are successful in keeping their resolutions according to this study), think more about the SOLUTION or “re-SOLUTION”. Yes, I realize that play on words is a [...]
[...] a goal to loose weight, learn something new or get out of debt. Here are some interesting statistics on New Year’s [...]
[...] 8% achieve their resolutions. http://www.steveshapiro.com/2008/12/11/interesting-new-years-resolution-statistics/ [...]
We play a New Year’s Game instead of making resolutions. It goes so much further. http://letterdash.com/elgado/the-new-years-game
[...] keep. You’ll stick to it for a while, but not for good – everyone is guilty of it. Statistics say that only 8% of those that set resolutions actually achieve them, and 24% never have. And [...]
[...] But sadly investing in a gym membership doesn’t necessarily translate to better health for the individual. Neither does a crash diet. Many people end up gaining all their weight back, if not more. In fact, 3 out of 4 people almost never succeed in realizing their New Years Resolutions according to author, innovation consultant and speaker, Stephen Shapiro. [...]
[...] to a poll conducted by Stephen Shapiro, a personal and corporate innovation specialist, 38 percent of New [...]
[...] Roughly 40% of you set New Year’s Resolutions related to weight loss and/or exercise. As a Certified Personal Trainer at the MAC, this doesn’t surprise me as I see and read all the time of the lack of physical activity in the US and its direct relation to an increase in obesity, muscular dysfunction and injury in the general population. [...]
[...] Did you know that only 8% of people who set resolutions are successful in achieving them year after year? [STAT] [...]
[...] THIS site I [...]
[...] many times have we all taken the same resolutions every year? This article talks about a few interesting statistics. The most interesting stat to me is that only about 8% [...]
[...] have. The only thing it got me was an annual gym membership that lasted 11 months too long. By some estimates, only 8 percent of Americans make successful New Year’s resolutions. But you don’t have to be [...]
[...] That’s not enough to make you stop smoking. And if it is I salute you. You are a part of the 8% of Americans who actually keep their resolutions. Simply saying what you are or aren’t going to do is not enough to catalyze sustainable [...]
[...] (only 8% of Americans actually are successful in keeping their resolutions according to this study), think more about the SOLUTION or “re-SOLUTION”. Yes, I realize that play on words is a [...]
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[...] metaphor for the millions who drop the ball on their New Year’s Resolutions. According to Steve Shapiro, only 8% of New Year’s Resolutions are ever realized. In fact, the Province reports that 75% of [...]
[...] weight. But yet so many fail to achieve their ideal body weight. In an interesting article by Steve Shapiro, he reveals that only 8% of people are always successful in achieving their goals. So, if you have [...]
[...] you break your resolutions, you’re not alone. According to Steve Shapiro’s statistics, three out of four people never keep their New Year’s [...]
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[...] and the pharmacies sell years worth of nicotine patches. But the statistics show however that only 8% of people are successful in achieving their resolutions. So come February the gym crowds vanish, the excitement fades away [...]
[...] these resolutions are not always achieved. According to research done by Stephen Shapiro and Opinion Corporation, of the 45% of Americans who usually set [...]
[...] that has not worked in the past and to make positive changes for the future. Unfortunately, statistics show that 49% of people who make New Year’s resolutions experience infrequent success and 24% [...]
[...] Shapiro’s website published an interesting article in 2008 that says only eight per cent of people are always successful in achieving their [...]
[...] Most of these resolutions include: losing weight, eating healthier, saving money, quitting an addiction and ect…of the 45% of people who start a resolution, only 8% are successful and 24% fail every resolution they make every year. [...]
[...] half of all Americans set new year’s resolutions every year, yet only 10% of them are successful. Why is it so [...]
[...] of the 45% of Americans who will most likely set a New Years Resolution at the stroke of midnight, only 8% of those will definitely find success. So lets recap. [...]
[...] to intriguing study 45% of all Americans do write their own resolutions in the beginning of the year. The most common [...]
[...] Nearly half of all Americans set new goals for themselves at the beginning of every single year, yet only about 15% actually follow through and accomplish them. Those numbers aren’t exactly encouraging when trying to figure out the challenges you’d like to tackle in 2012. The odds may be stacked against you, but what the statistics don’t show is that this year, you won’t just be setting any old goals. By following the tips that I’ve outlined in this article, you’ll be setting the types of goals that help you beat the odds and gear you up for success. [...]
[...] have just begun 2012. It’s the time to make a million New Years Resolutions that we intend to be really awesome about keeping, and then really, we’ll just end up [...]
[...] did some digging around, and we found that 60% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, of which, a whopping 92% have trouble keeping their [...]
[...] resolutions. Sure, you may have resolved to eat healthier or to lose weight — after all, 38% of Americans do — but clearly those leftover Christmas cookies were just calling to be eaten. At least those [...]
[...] of Americans make New Year’s resolutions. How many of these resolutions are successful? One study in particular showed that only 1 in 4 people experience success in achieving their goals. Interestingly enough, [...]
[...] to a 2008 survey conducted by author and motivational speaker, Steven Shapiro and the Opinion Research Group [...]
[...] you are anything like me, and statistics show you are, you haven’t been that resolved. You got busy. You got stressed. You got… [...]
[...] Resolution, I’d like to know if you’ve been able to stick with it. Statistically speaking, only 8 percent of people actually achieve their resolutions. So, with the help of Neil Osterweil on WebMD, I was [...]
[...] New Year’s resolutions illustrate this problem perfectly. It’s the end of February: How are you doing with yours? If you’re like the 45 percent of Americans who resolve to break a bad habit or start a good one, you stand an 8 percent chance of sticking to it. [...]
[...] according to “Innovation Evangelist” Stephen Shapiro, out of the 45% of Americans who set New Year’s Resolutions each year, studies show only 8% of [...]
[...] Interesting New Year’s Resolution Statistics – http://www.steveshapiro.com/2008/12/11/interesting-new-years-resolution-statistics/ [...]
[...] Resolution, I’d like to know if you’ve been able to stick with it. Statistically speaking, only 8 percent of people actually achieve their resolutions. So, with the help of Neil Osterweil on WebMD, I was [...]
[...] the time when most of us are diving into our New Year’s resolutions. Problem is that only 8% of people will actually achieve their resolutions. So what can you do to beat the odds? We chatted with board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Carl [...]
[...] tell us, though, that only 1 in 4 of us will actually keep our resolution every [...]
[...] half of Americans set New Year’s resolutions only 30 days ago, but only 8% are successful. That’s why we publish this list in February instead of [...]
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[...] http://www.steveshapiro.com/2008/12/11/interesting-new-years-resolution-statistics/ [...]
[...] It’s New Year’s day. I want to offer my definition of “resolution”: preconceived failure. “Only 8% of people are always successful in achieving their resolutions. 19% achieve their resolutions every other year. 49% have infrequent success. 24% (one in four people) NEVER succeed and have failed on every resolution every year. That means that 3 out of 4 people almost never succeed. (from Steve Shapiro) [...]
[...] And finally I’ll leave you with this quote: [...]
[...] A recent study has found that 92% of people don’t achieve their new year resolutions. [...]