The UK’s New Year’s Resolutions Statistics

January brings some highs and lows. Blue Monday occurs on the 15th, known as the saddest day of the year. At the same time, it’s also the month of motivation, holiday booking and of course, New Year’s Resolutions.

So we wanted to set out and find what people are putting on their New Year’s Resolutions for 2024. Is everyone hoping to get into shape? Maybe learn a new language, or try your hand at a musical instrument.

Well we surveyed 1,000 people in the UK to find out what is on their resolutions and what they hope to achieve in 2024, with some very interesting results.

Dry January Boom

Of the 1,000 people surveyed, a whopping 145 people said they were taking on Dry January. That means 14.5% of those interviewed will be avoiding a single drop of alcohol for the entire month.

We asked this question a year ago and just 7.6% said they would be taking on the alcohol-free challenge, so it certainly highlights a move towards a drink-free lifestyle.

Of those 145, the vast majority were between the ages of 25-35, with the most common age being 27.

Interestingly, not a single person over the age of 46 said they were taking on Dry January.

Sex Life Goals

Of the 1,000 people interviewed, 566 had set their resolutions in place for 2024. Health and dieting may take centre stage with New Year’s resolutions, but we also wanted to know whether people will be putting their bedroom activities on their list for the year.

An astonishing 71% said that it had made the list, a high number we felt considering we wondered whether people would be adverse about admitting these details.

The 71% who are hoping to liven up their bedroom antics was dominated (no pun intended) by people in relationships. 90% of people in relationships in the survey said they would be adding sex goals onto their list for the year.

New Language On The Horizon

Of the 566 people who have set some New Year’s resolutions, 33 (6%) are hoping to learn a new language. 

When asking which language they would be learning, Spanish was the most popular choice, followed by French and Japanese.

This goal seems consistent with last year, where 7% said they would be learning a new language.

Birthday Party Activities

Of the 1,000 people interviewed, 289 said they planned on celebrating their birthday with some form of activity or experience.

We then asked those 289 respondents which activity they may book for their birthday, with a selection of options and the inevitable ‘other’ option.

A pub/bar trip was the top choice unsurprisingly, making up for 39% of responses. However, it was interesting to see how many people chose bottomless brunch, 19% of respondents. 

An escape room also seemed to be a popular option with 13.8% people planning on setting this up for 2024.

The Loss Of Gym Memberships

We tend to ask slightly different questions each year when we run this survey, but one we have kept consistent is whether people will be exercising at home or at the gym.

Excluding the 159 who said neither, 601 said they would be working out from home rather than at the gym, which is 71%.

We first ran this survey in 2018 and it was in the reverse order, with 68% stating they would be going to the gym. It does appear that the lockdowns have pushed people into home-workouts and investing in home gym equipment.