Top New Year Resolutions for 2026
By thom·December 29, 2025
A new survey shows America’s top New Year’s resolutions. YouGov found most adults want to exercise more, with 25 percent making it their primary goal for 2026.
Overall the top 10 were:
- Being happy
- Eating healthier
- Saving more money
- Improving physical health
- Losing weight
- Improving mental health
- Learning something new
- Spending more time with family
- Praying more
- Reading more
So apparently, Americans are feeling slightly more optimistic about 2026—because, you know, the bar was low.
About a third of Americans plan to make New Year’s resolutions—mostly younger folks, because hope fades with age, apparently. The top goal? Exercise more. Then comes “be happy,” “eat healthy,” “save money,” and “improve health”—which all sound suspiciously like the same resolution in different shoes.
Women are more likely than men to aim for happiness or weight loss, while younger people want to save money, chase career goals, and maybe learn something new. Translation: 2026 will be the year of kale, side hustles, and self-help podcasts.
But here’s the kicker—almost 90% of people say they’ll probably keep their resolutions… sure, Jan. Still, half think 2026 will be a good year for them personally.