As the calendar turns toward 2026, many Americans are prioritizing personal relationships and faith, with goals such as “spending more time with family” and “praying more” appearing among the most frequently cited New Year’s resolutions.
Those findings come from a YouGov survey of 1,104 U.S. adults conducted from Dec. 9–11, which examined how Americans are reflecting on 2025 and what they hope to change or pursue in the year ahead.
The survey shows that enthusiasm for formal resolutions is mixed: a slim majority of respondents (51%) said they do not plan to make New Year’s resolutions for 2026, while 31% indicated they intend to set specific goals.
Among those who do plan to make resolutions, exercising more emerged as the most common aim, cited by 25% of respondents. Still, family- and faith-oriented goals also ranked highly, with 15% saying “spending more time with family” was one of their resolutions and an equal share identifying “praying more” as a priority for the new year.
Beyond those goals, Americans listed a wide range of aspirations for 2026, including “being happy” (23%), “eating healthier” (22%), “saving more money” (21%), and “improving physical health” (21%).
Other frequently mentioned resolutions included “losing weight” (17%), “improving mental health” (16%), “learning something new” (15%), “reading more” (15%), “improving relationships with friends or family” (13%), “paying down debts” (12%), “improving home or life organization” (12%), “traveling” (11%), and “quitting a bad habit” (11%).
Political affiliation appeared to influence certain priorities. Republicans were more likely than Democrats or independents to say “praying more” was among their resolutions, with 19% of Republicans selecting that option compared with 15% of Democrats and 12% of independents.
The pattern was similar when broken down by voting behavior, as 18% of voters who supported President Donald Trump in 2024 chose “praying more,” compared with 11% of those who backed Kamala Harris.
A comparable divide appeared around family-focused goals. Nearly one in five Republicans (19%) said “spending more time with family” was a resolution, compared with 14% of Democrats and 13% of independents. By presidential vote choice, 18% of Trump voters cited that goal, versus 12% of Harris voters.
Independents were slightly more inclined than partisans to select that option, with 10% listing a commitment to spiritual matters, compared with 9% of Republicans and 8% of Democrats. Among voters, 12% of those who supported Trump and 8% of Harris voters said they want to focus more on spiritual matters in the coming year.
