Halfway through 2024: How are our New Year’s resolutions holding up?

We’re almost halfway through the year, the perfect time to check in: did our New Year’s sesolutions vanish as quickly as the champagne bubbles on January 1st? Or is our discipline proving to be as jaw-dropping as a fireworks show? Wetten.com surveyed 2,000 Americans to see what remains of their hopeful resolutions nearly six months into 2024.

Here’s what we found:

• Out of all Americans who started 2024 with New Year’s resolutions, 54% have admitted after nearly six months that they didn’t manage to stick to them.
• Tennessee has the highest rate of resolution breakers (9 out of 10), while Arkansas boasts the lowest (13%).
• Exercising more was found to be the hardest resolution to maintain, followed by eating healthier and saving money.
• Lack of motivation was cited as the main reason for falling short on resolutions.

Losing weight, visiting grandma more often, finally getting finances in order—many of us start the year with ambitious resolutions. But as hopeful as people are at the beginning of the year, sticking to those resolutions can become tough and bitter as the weeks go by. Now that we’re almost halfway through 2024, we’ve looked into the current status of all those ambitious plans by conducting an independent survey of 2,000 Americans nationwide.

Men tend to stick to their resolutions more than women

Among those who kicked off the year with one or more resolutions, a notable 54% confess, almost six months down the road, that they haven’t quite kept up. Interestingly, this figure tilts slightly higher among women, with 59% admitting to falling short, compared to 47% of men.

Tennessee leads in resolution breakers

Unfortunately, Tennessee has the highest number of residents who couldn’t stick to their New Year’s resolutions. A staggering 9 out of 10 respondents from Tennessee admit they didn’t follow through with their resolutions. Mississippi follows closely behind at 75%, followed by Virginia at 73%.

On the other hand, Arkansas seems to have significantly less trouble maintaining their resolutions. With only 13% giving up, Arkansas has the lowest percentage of quitters nationwide. New Mexico also shows good discipline, with only 20% of residents admitting to giving up, followed by Arizona at 21%.

Lack of motivation the biggest culprit

So, what’s causing us to struggle with sticking to those New Year’s resolutions? Perhaps we spend too much time looking for online casinos and checking the latest US sports news. It turns out that a lack of motivation takes the crown as the top reason, with temptations in our surroundings—like snacks, alcohol, and cigarettes—coming in at a close second. Work stress also plays a significant role, landing at number three on the list of obstacles hindering our resolution success. And when it comes to fatigue or financial constraints, they respectively occupy spots four and five on the list of challenges.

Exercising is the hardest to maintain

When asked which resolutions were the most difficult to keep up with, exercising was mentioned most often, at 37%. Eating healthier also proves challenging, with 24% finding this difficult to achieve. In third place is saving money, at 8%, followed by quitting smoking (7%) and learning a new skill (4%).

1 in 2 give it another shot in the second half of the year

Whether sticking to those New Year’s resolutions has been challenging or not, an impressive 49% of Americans who started the year with resolutions say they’ll give it another try in the second half of the year.

So, what are these resolutions for the second half of 2024? Interestingly, the top 3 is exactly the same as the top 3 for the most difficult resolutions to maintain: exercising more, eating healthier, and saving money. But that’s not all—reducing stress is also high on our wish list for the second half of the year, ranking at number 4, followed by reading more books at number 5.

Reading a book in bed sounds like a lovely idea, but we’re not forgetting about our beauty sleep either. Coming in at number 6 is the resolution to get more sleep. Personal growth is a big deal for many people: learning a new skill takes the 7th spot, followed by cutting back on alcohol at number 8. Plus, lots of people are itching to see more of the world: traveling more lands at number 9. And rounding off the top 10 is spending more quality time with friends and family.

Methodology

In May 2024, we conducted an independent survey of 2,000 Americans from across the country who reported having made New Year’s resolutions. The average age of respondents was 37.8 years. The sample comprised 43% male, 55% female, 1% non-binary, and 1% other.