• 3 in 10 Brits will make a money-based New Year’s resolution for 2024
• Gen Z is most focused on making a change in the new year, with an impressive 97% setting a resolution
• Northern Ireland and London are the regions most likely to set goals, with 4 in 5 residents planning a resolution

19, December, 2023, LONDON –

Around 35 million UK adults are planning on making a New Year’s resolution in 2024, which is two-thirds (66%) of the population. This has grown from last year when the annual research from personal finance comparison site finder.com found that just under 3 in 5 Brits (58%) were setting goals for the new year.

Health and money lead the way for 2024 resolutions

Health is the most popular category for resolutions, with over a third (35%) of the population setting a goal to improve their physical or mental wellbeing.

New Year’s resolutions involving money are a close second, as 3 in 10 Brits (29%) want to set a goal in this area. After a year that has seen high inflation and many people struggling to manage their usual daily expenses, it is perhaps not surprising that Brits want to focus on managing their money more effectively in 2024.

Meanwhile, career is a low priority for 2024 resolutions as just 14% of adults are focusing on their work life as an area for improvement next year.

The majority of generation Z and millennials are making resolutions

Impressively, nearly all of generation Z (97%) are planning to make a resolution of some kind next year. The majority of millennials (86%) are also setting goals, as well as two-thirds of generation X (67%).

However, the enthusiasm for setting New Year’s resolutions drops with age. Less than half (46%) of baby boomers are setting a goal while less than a quarter of the silent generation (23%) are making a resolution.

The research suggests that optimism comes with youth and perhaps all the years of failing to meet the resolutions have made the older generations more cynical!

Northern Ireland and London are top for goal-setting next year

Certain regions of the UK are a lot more focused on making changes in 2024 compared to others. Northern Ireland tops the table, with 4 in 5 (80%) making a New Year’s resolution, followed by London, where 79% of residents are making a resolution.

Those in the North East were least likely to make a change in the New Year, with just half of residents setting a resolution.

You can see the regional leaderboard of New Year’s resolutions below.

To see the research in full visit: https://www.finder.com/uk/new-years-resolution-statistics

Matt McKenna, head of research and communications at the personal finance comparison site, finder.com, said:

“Almost all of us will have made a New Year’s resolution at some point, but how many of us stuck to it? I have been guilty of setting grand goals that are hard to achieve, and therefore keep up, so I now make sure my resolutions are manageable and easy to track.

“If you’re one of the many people who plan to make a money resolution then think about breaking it down into monthly or weekly goals. For example, instead of saving a few hundred pounds, why not aim to save £1 per day or use an app that lets you round up your spare change? This should help you get into the habit of doing this and it won’t make a huge impact on your day-to-day life.”

Methodology:

Finder commissioned Censuswide to carry out a nationally representative survey of adults aged 18+. A total of 2,000 people were questioned between 27 and 29 November 2023 throughout Great Britain, with representative quotas for gender, age and region