2023 is just around the corner and since the arrival of a new year is the perfect time to set new goals and make some resolutions, Scholaroo — an educational research company and website search engine — conducted a study to find out Americans’ most popular new year’s resolutions for the upcoming year.
What is the most popular new year’s resolution?
Scholaroo’s asked 1500 American citizens what their new year’s resolutions are and the result of the study revealed that America’s most popular New Year’s resolution for 2023 is to live healthier. The result of the research showed that 23% of Americans want to live healthier, 21% want personal improvement or happiness, and 20% want to lose weight.
The study also found that the majority of the female respondents (28%) want to live healthier, while most of the male respondents (19%) want to lose weight.
What are the other most common new year’s resolutions?
Aside from the three new year’s resolutions mentioned above, below are the other most common 2023 resolutions across the U.S.:
- Exercise
- Stop smoking
- Financial goals
- Career or job goals
- Travel or moving
- Improve relationships
- Reduce drinking
Data showed that American men are more likely to make a career or job goal for their new year’s resolution, while women are more likely to be interested in new travel experiences.

The study also found that Americans aged 18-29 years old prioritize improving their emotional relationships more than any other age group, which includes 30-44, 45-64, and 65-up.

Interestingly, the result of the study revealed Americans with higher incomes have a greater desire to exercise more in the new year.

How many Americans make new year’s resolutions?
According to Scholaroo’s study, 23% of the respondents plan to make new year’s resolutions for 2023. Younger Americans are more eager to make new year’s resolutions, as the research revealed that 40% of the 18-29 age have already started planning new resolutions. Those in the older age groups, meanwhile, are not in a rush to make new resolutions. In fact, only 145 of those 65 and older are planning new resolutions.
Are Americans confident that they will be able to keep their resolutions?
The result of the survey revealed that the majority of Americans (79%) are very confident that they will keep their resolutions throughout 2023.
Are new year’s resolutions effective?
For some people, the practice of making new year’s resolutions is not worthwhile. Skeptics even think that people who make resolutions for the new year are only setting themselves up for failure. However, a survey by YouGov found that 35% of those who made resolutions for 2020 managed to keep all of their resolutions throughout that year, while 49% kept some but not all of their resolutions. Since only 16% of the respondents failed to keep all of their resolutions, it’s safe to say that setting new year’s resolutions are powerful and not completely pointless.
Why do new year’s resolutions fail?
Just like any form of commitment, sticking to new year’s resolutions is not a walk in the park. According to Economic Times, there are six main reasons why people fail to stick to their resolutions.
1. Unrealistic resolutions
Establishing extremely difficult objectives will make you give up easily. So make sure that your resolution is something that is attenable within a one-year time frame and given the skills and resources that you have.
2. Lack of accountability
People tend to give up quickly when doing something alone, so it’s much better to work with an accountability partner to guarantee that you have the proper energy and drive to accomplish your resolutions.
3. No tracking
If you don’t track your progress from the get-go, then chances are you will lose your drive to accomplish your resolutions along the way. A track record of accomplishments helps in the development of resolution consistency.
4. Lack of planning
Laying out a detailed plan on how you can achieve your resolution is a must, as resolutions without great planning are bound to fail. Plan the action steps around the resolution and schedule them on the calendar.
5. Self-doubt
Self-doubt can ruin everything. Doubting yourself doesn’t help because it only focuses your energy and attention on why you can’t achieve your resolution. Believe in yourself and start taking action. Remember that progress is preferable to perfection.
6. Unclear motivation
Many people fail to achieve their goals because they don’t know why exactly they want it. So, it’s not enough that you know what you want, you should also know why you are trying to achieve it. If you have a clear motivation, then nothing can stop you from reaching your objectives.