Every January, the same question makes its annual appearance:
“So… what’s your New Year’s resolution?”
And while the answers sound personal, the patterns behind them are surprisingly predictable — especially when you look at the data.
A recent YouGov survey asked Americans to select all resolutions that applied to them from a list. When the results were broken down by gender and age, some interesting trends emerged.
Let’s take a look.
Men vs. Women: More Similar Than Different — With a Few Key Twists
Overall, men and women choose many of the same goals:
- Improve health
- Save more money
- Be happier
- Get in better shape
- Reduce stress
But women consistently placed greater emphasis on:
- Being happier
- Eating healthier
- Losing weight
- Paying down debt
This doesn’t mean men don’t care about these things — but women tend to rank them higher and select them more often.
What that tells us:
Women’s resolutions often center on well-being, stability, and balance, while men are slightly more likely to frame goals around performance, productivity, or external outcomes.
Different lenses. Same destination.
The Age Factor: The Older We Get, the Fewer Resolutions We Make
Here’s the part that really caught my attention:
- 66% of people ages 18–29 set a resolution
- Only 28% of people 65 and older do
That’s a massive shift.
So what’s going on?
Two possible explanations:
1️⃣ They’ve already done the work
By the time you hit your 60s, you’ve:
- Built habits
- Learned what works (and what doesn’t)
- Discovered your limits
- Stopped chasing trends and started chasing peace
Fewer resolutions… because fewer are needed.
2️⃣ They’ve learned which battles matter
Younger people try to change everything at once.
Older people focus on what actually improves their life.
That’s not giving up.
That’s wisdom.
What This Means for Families, Couples & Dads
In real life — especially in families — resolutions often collide.
One spouse wants:
“Less stress, better food, more joy.”
The other says:
“Gym. Budget. Career.”
Neither is wrong.
They’re just speaking different languages.
The healthiest families I work with don’t chase identical goals —
they support complementary ones.
When you align those, something powerful happens.
A Better Way to Think About Resolutions
Instead of:
“What do I want to change?”
Ask:
“What kind of life do we want to live this year?”
Happiness.
Health.
Stability.
Peace.
Progress.
Those don’t belong to men or women — they belong to families.
Final Thought
Whether you’re 25 setting five resolutions
or 65 setting none at all…
The real win isn’t the list.
It’s becoming the kind of person who no longer needs one.