New Years resolutions: seniors vs the young?

All you Gen X, Y & Z Alphabet people are worried about saving money, being happy, getting exercise, not being "mental" (sorry improving your mental state), blah blah blah.

We wrinkled old people don't worry about much. Why? Because you're out of the house! We're free....woooooo!!! It's party time baby.

Viva la resolutions

Dust off the exercise bike; dip into that new cookbook; dig out your gym membership; devise an unsustainable savings plan… It’s that time of year when millions of us make — and, yes, often break — new resolutions in our quest for self-improvement.

While setting annual goals certainly isn’t for everyone, those who do resolve to change aspects of their lives tend to have different ideas about what “new year, new me” actually means, and age is often a major factor.

Issue already resolved

Putting aside more cash, for example, is a bigger priority for Americans aged 18-29 than those over 65. Indeed, some 37% of the younger cohort said they’re planning to save more in 2024, compared to just 9% of the oldest group that YouGov surveyed in December. That’s perhaps not surprising, given that the Baby Boomer generation reportedly holds some $78 trillion of the nation’s wealth, a little over half of the total.

Adults between 18-29 are also more likely to prioritize their mental health, with 35% of those respondents aiming to improve their mental well-being, while the most common 2024 goals for the 65+ cohort tend to be physical health-related (losing weight or exercising more).

Interestingly, 15% of Americans are hoping to read more in the new year — a bar that shouldn’t be too high for many, given that another recent YouGov survey found that only 54% of Americans finished a book last year.