⭐ Feature: New Year's Resolution Statistics (Episode 157.2)
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As we step into 2025, it's the perfect time to reflect on our goals and aspirations. And for many, that means making, and hopefully keeping, New Year's resolutions. Today, we're revisiting one of my favorite episodes, New Year's Resolution Statistics.

While originally created with 2024 in mind, and I'll mention that a few times in the beginning, the insights and lessons are just as relevant as ever for 2025. Without further ado...

Let's dive in. Hi, everybody. My name is Shauna, and this is the American English Podcast. My goal here is to teach you the English spoken in the United States. Through common expressions, pronunciation tips, and interesting cultural snippets or stories, I hope to keep this fun, useful, and interesting. Let's do it.

Every January, as the clock strikes midnight and the new year unfolds, millions of people around the globe start a familiar ritual. They start their New Year's resolution. A resolution is a firm decision or commitment to oneself to achieve some sort of goal. Usually one is made with the hope of self-improvement.

In today's lesson, we'll talk about a few different studies and surveys about top New Year's resolutions in the United States. My hope is to uncover cultural insights, not only about our aspirations and priorities for 2024,

but how we can be more successful at achieving our goals. Because this is an English lesson, we'll cover more than just culture. I'll explain new vocabulary and phrases as we progress through this audio, so listen carefully. You're going to hear a lot of vocabulary related to statistics.

You'll learn how to compare and contrast data. Here's how this lesson will be structured. First, we'll start with a mini vocabulary lesson. Secondly, we'll casually go over the statistics that I found and how they can be interpreted.

Thirdly, we'll talk about what we learned from the success and failure of New Year's resolutions and how that can be applied to our language learning habits so that we have a higher chance of achieving our goals. Let's start with the vocabulary lesson. In English, we use the verb to make when talking about commitments, promises, or resolutions.

I made a commitment to stop drinking soda. She made a promise to herself to work out three days a week. He made a resolution to study English for 20 minutes a day. You can also say he resolved to study English for 20 minutes a day, but it's not as common. So to make a commitment, to make a promise, to make a resolution.

We can also keep commitments, promises, or resolutions when we maintain them, when we are successful, right? Nobody wants to give up. Nobody wants to abandon their resolution. Keeping a resolution requires dedication and consistent effort. So my question for you is, have you ever made a resolution? If so, did you keep it?

Is it a tradition in your country to make New Year's resolutions? In the United States, according to YouGov, 37% of individuals make a New Year's resolution. 37%! That's over one-third of the population, or more than one in three.

Right. So here we hear a percentage, 37 percent, one third. That would be a fraction and one in three. So a ratio.

In a recent poll led by Forbes Health and OnePoll, which asked 1,000 Americans about their resolutions for 2024, it was revealed that 62% of respondents feel pressure to make New Year's resolutions. For example, if your friends declare their resolutions on social media, which might be good for accountability, it might make you feel pressured to do so also.

Our peers are people around us, our co-workers, our family members, and our friends. We call pressure from these people peer pressure. Or you might come across New Year's resolutions conversations in work environments or at school. It's a popular topic to find out what goals people have.

specifically at the beginning of the year when there's still a feeling of hope in the air. Many people consider January a time to start fresh. Although, remember, January is not the only time we should be starting fresh. So if you fail with your New Year's resolution, if you give up, if you abandon it, there's still 12 months to go or 11 if you make it to the end of January.

Pressure also comes from the media.

If you hop on your computer or smartphone at the end of December or January while in the United States, or if you watch regular cable TV where there are ads or commercials that appear, you'll see ads for gyms, dieting programs, or weight loss apps that say things like, Do you want to lose weight in 2024? Now's your chance to commit.

The funny thing about these ads is that we all know that such companies and gyms are banking on people setting goals to increase their sales.

By banking on, I mean they're depending on or relying on in a very hopeful way. They're banking on people like you and me signing up for memberships and subscriptions so that we can get fit in the upcoming year.

In fact, according to the Forbes Health OnePoll survey, the number one priority for people living in the United States in 2024 is to improve their physical health. People want to get fit. They want to get in shape. 48% of people listed improved fitness as a top resolution.

Since the study allowed the respondents to mark multiple answers, we can see that 55% stated that physical and mental well-being are equally important. The question is, are physical and mental health directly correlated? Is there a correlation between the two? What do you think?

A correlation is a statistical measure that indicates the extent to which two variables fluctuate together. The variables here are physical health and mental health. How are they connected? It's actually really interesting. Last year, I watched a documentary called Stutz, which is about psychology and tools to help our mental well-being.

One of the very controversial statements Stutz, the psychiatrist, said stuck with me. 85% of early therapy gains

comes down to lifestyle changes. So if someone showed up to his office and said they were very depressed, instead of making them pay for hours of therapy just working on their mind, he'd tell them to take action. He'd make them focus on their body, their physical being first. The only way to find out what you should be doing, it's like who you are, is to activate your life force first.

Because your life force is the only part of you that actually is capable of guiding you when you're lost. If you think of it as a pyramid, there's three levels of the life force. The bottom level is your relationship with your physical body. The second layer is your relationship with other people. And the highest level is your relationship with yourself.

Now, obviously, mental health issues are not all the same, and there's no one solution for everyone, but 85%, that's a significant number. In statistics, a significant number often refers to a result or finding that is unlikely to have occurred by chance.

In this case, 85% is an extraordinarily high percentage. It is a significant number.

According to Stutz, there is a correlation between physical health and our emotional well-being. If these are correlated, can we kill two birds with one stone and by working out improve our physical and mental state? Can we kill two birds with one stone and

Now, I have a hard time believing in random statistics or statistics shared by one person. Maybe the stat the person is sharing is just an estimate or an estimation. So it's an approximate number or an approximation. It's close to what it could be. In English, we jokingly call this a guesstimate. It's a guest statistic.

Because physical and mental health are really common as top resolutions for people in the United States, I wanted to come to a sound conclusion. When talking about logic and reasoning, a sound conclusion refers to a well-founded and valid one.

So that led me to a survey done by the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And it was done on 1.2 million adults over the age of 18. That is a huge sample size. We can also call this a pool of participants. 1.2 million adults is a massive pool of participants. It is a huge sample size.

From the survey they conducted, researchers have concluded that the average American has 3.4 poor mental health days per month, but that that number drops by more than 40% in those who exercise.

By exercising, we have fewer poor mental health days, which are days characterized by stress, emotional concern, or depression. So why is that? Exercise gives us endorphins. It can help us better regulate stress and give us better control over our emotions. Regular physical activity, particularly moderate-intensity aerobic exercise,

is associated with better quality of sleep, not to mention better overall concentration.

So yeah, there is a correlation between physical and mental health. No wonder why physical activity was listed as number one. Still getting around to that fix on your car? You got this. On eBay, you'll find millions of parts guaranteed to fit. Doesn't matter if it's a major engine repair or your first time swapping your windshield wipers.

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So far, we've learned a few fun terms. Percentage or the percent of, fraction, ratio, significant number, variable, correlation, a guesstimate, when something is sound. When talking about statistics in English, it's important to be able to describe data that changes over time.

When a percentage increases rapidly, when there's a sudden rise, we call it a spike. Many gyms report spikes in new memberships or increased attendance in the first few weeks of January as people resolve to exercise more.

If you look at a graph displaying gym memberships over time, you would see a spike in January. We could also call this a peak. And when a percentage decreases rapidly, when there is a sudden fall, we call it a sharp decrease or a dip.

Despite the initial spike of health food purchases in January, there was a dip in February as many people dropped their healthy eating habits. Speaking of people dropping their healthy eating habits, let's talk about the success and failure of resolutions. What were the resolutions again?

48% of people listed improved fitness as a top resolution. 36% mental health. 34% weight loss. 32% improved diet. So health and dieting are definitely up there. However, improved finances also came in the top at 38%. Other common resolutions include reading more,

spending more time with family or friends, traveling more, pursuing a new hobby, focusing on spiritual matters, pursuing a career goal, quitting a bad habit, etc. In all of the studies I found on the internet, finances and health were the top two most popular resolutions in the United States. People want to feel good and have money in the bank.

So how successful are they at achieving their goals? Let's be honest, a resolution is really just a hope unless there's motivation, accountability, and a game plan. Studies show that the more accountability, planning, and motivation you have, the more likely it is you'll achieve your goals.

In the Forbes Health and OnePoll study, only one out of five respondents stated that they can keep themselves accountable. Only one in five believe they have self-discipline. There is a strong reliance on apps related to fitness, wellness, meditation, and habit building to help keep people accountable.

An app can, of course, send reminders when to work out or even just get up from your chair. But is that enough to succeed? Maybe we need more accountability, more motivation, more specific goals. In analyzing reports from Statista, Psychology Today, and Forbes Health,

There is a very high percentage of people who abandon their resolutions within the first few months. Now, while the stats vary from site to site, the results weren't good. Time magazine stated 80% of individuals give up by February.

Strava, the fitness app, once stated in an older study that based on 800 million user-logged activities on their app, they could predict that 80% would give up their resolutions by January 19th. That day became known as Quitter's Day. The Forbes Health OnePoll survey said that the average resolution lasts 3.74 months.

Across the board, most sources say we won't make it until April. So are we just a bunch of failures? How can we improve our chances of success? Based on a study done by PSOS, it was revealed that as humans, we are more likely to succeed at action-oriented goals than avoidance-oriented goals. What's an example of this?

If we want to eat less sugar, it might be smarter to commit to eating fruit a few times a day instead of saying no cookies, no brownies, or ice cream. No sweets at all. In effect, by adding fruit, you might not crave as much sweet junk food. Okay, so we're not avoiding the cookies and brownies and ice cream. We're just adding fruit. Now, how can we apply this to English?

After years of learning and teaching, I think it's really important to pay attention to four things. Smart goals, motivation, accountability, and game plan or strategy. Now, when you have these components in place, I think you will be incredibly successful at learning English. As an exercise, consider spending five minutes thinking about each of these.

even write your ideas down. I find that writing helps with clarity. So number one, setting clear goals. So establishing specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals help maintain accountability.

Instead of saying I'm going to be fluent in English, why not try fluency one topic at a time with my five-minute English lessons? Or learn 100 phrasal verbs, not from a list, but from context and stories. Give yourself 10 words a week. You know, break it up into very measurable, achievable chunks, and you'll feel these little mini bursts of success as you succeed.

Personally, I'd work with either a teacher or buy material from a teacher you trust because they'll clearly outline goals for you or they'll work with you to achieve the goals you want. A goal without a strategy is kind of sad.

So once again, good goals are ones that can be measured and they're specific, they're time bound, they're achievable, and they're relevant for what you want. You can also know if you're achieving them if you are tracking your progress. Are you tracking your learning effectively? I can't stress how important this is.

There's nothing more motivating than seeing your own progress and seeing that you are succeeding with your goals, especially at an intermediate level when a lot of us are at a plateau. I'll provide a link to how to track your language progress in the episode notes, which also has a downloadable progress log to monitor your learning.

Number two, motivation. Motivation will be different for all of you. Maybe you're learning English because you see a career opportunity. Maybe it's to travel to a country to speak with native speakers. Maybe it's for personal growth or school, or maybe you just want to watch your favorite TV show in the original language. But to me, motivation is twofold.

You shouldn't just think about your end goal motivation to learn, which might be far off in the future. But what motivates you while learning? What is motivating about the learning process itself? My husband watched The Big Bang Theory again and again and again because he thought it was fun. And it really helped him learn English.

I personally enjoy listening to podcasts while walking and then writing stories or sentences with new vocabulary because that, to me, is very well-rounded and the writing helps with my retention. If you can figure out what is motivating for you or fun for you, chances are you'll be a pretty consistent learner.

Once again, that might be cooking recipes in English, reading romance novels, listening to music and understanding the lyrics. Number three, accountability. Ask yourself, how is my self-discipline?

Remember, when we do something motivating or fun, we need less self-discipline to do it. However, there is proof that accountability improves success, no matter what. So how can we keep ourselves accountable? I already mentioned tracking your progress. If you have your language learning log on your wall looking you in the face, I think you're going to remember to learn.

Even if you don't do it, it's still there. It's looking at you. You can also tell your friends. As we mentioned, those New Year's resolutions where people tell their friends and family what they're doing, that can create a sort of peer pressure to achieve.

You might also look towards language learning apps. Many language learning apps incorporate accountability features such as progress tracking, reminders, streaks, which are consecutive days of practice, and gamified elements that encourage regular practice. I mean, think of Duolingo, right? That's the most basic one that everyone knows of.

If you are generally motivated by real people, as an English learner, there are so many ways to meet other people that will hold you accountable. You can join language learning communities, forums, social media groups dedicated to language learning. You can join a meetup group in person. I have a French meetup group I go to every Sunday, and I know my friend Meg is going to be waiting for me.

You can find a language partner online. Regular meetings or conversations with someone who is also learning a language helps both parties stay committed to practicing. You can get a teacher, and working with a tutor or language teacher offers structured learning and accountability.

Personally, I buy language courses for the strategy and then schedule with teachers who can correct and assist me when I have questions or hold me accountable. I find the combination extremely effective. I'll post links for all of this in the episode notes. In my humble opinion, you will be more successful at learning English if you spend time doing all of those things. The more, the better.

There's a lot we can learn about New Year's resolutions, and there's a lot we can apply to language learning. Let's recap.

In this English lesson, we discussed the tradition of making New Year's resolutions and explored various studies and surveys related to the top resolutions in the United States for 2024. You heard over 10 vocabulary words related to statistics in English, including percentage, fraction, ratio, variable, sample size, pool of participants,

a dip, a spike, a sharp increase or decrease, a correlation, a significant number, and more.

We used percentages from the studies constantly in order to make inferences, to make logical conclusions. For example, I explained why I think 62% of people in the U.S. might feel pressured to make resolutions, such as exposure to peer pressure and media advertisements.

After learning that physical and mental health are top resolutions in the U.S., we tried to determine whether there is a correlation between physical and mental health. I drew from the documentary Stutz and a well-known CDC study and concluded there is a correlation between the two.

Perhaps we can kill two birds with one stone, work out, and improve our physical and mental health. We learned that at the end of the day, people are very bad at keeping resolutions, at least in the United States. Perhaps the time frame is too long, 365 days is a lot, or people don't have the self-discipline or structure for accountability.

We're not failures. We can always improve. Not just in January, though. Throughout the year.

For better success, we should have action-oriented resolutions rather than avoidance-oriented resolutions and make sure that our goals are smart. They're specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. We should also have strong long-term motivation as well as motivation right now, which

So if English is your goal, really figure out how to make it enjoyable and find as many ways as possible to hold yourself accountable. Having a well-defined strategy, at least in language learning, is the cherry on top.

Hope you enjoyed that lesson. Be sure to sign up to premium content for season four if you want the list of definitions, a comprehension quiz, the transcript, the premium podcast player, and all of the other bonus material for episodes 151 to 200. You'll find the link for that, as well as all of the other links I mentioned in this episode, in the episode notes.

Hope you're having a lovely day and until next time. Bye. Thank you for listening to this episode of the American English Podcast. Remember, it's my goal here to not only help you improve your listening comprehension, but to show you how to speak like someone from the States.

If you want to receive the full transcript for this episode, or you just want to support this podcast, make sure to sign up to premium content on AmericanEnglishPodcast.com. Thanks and hope to see you soon.