Seven in 10 US adults planned to set goals for themselves at the start of this year.
That’s according to Gallup.
According to the poll, one-third told Gallup they were “very likely” to set goals for themselves at the beginning of 2023 and another 38% said they were “somewhat likely.”
The following is more from Gallup News.
Goal setting is more common among younger than older Americans, although majorities of all age groups intend to do it.
About eight in 10 adults aged 18 to 34 (79%) and 72% of those aged 35 to 54 say they are likely to set goals, versus 62% of those 55 and older.
Age differences are also evident among those “very likely” to set goals, falling from 40% of the youngest age group to 25% of the oldest.
Goal setting is also more common among high-income adults and college graduates than their counterparts, while there is no difference by gender.
Improving Health and Finances Are Most Common Goals
Survey respondents who said they were at least somewhat likely to set goals for the new year were asked to indicate whether their goals will fall into each of six different categories.
- Personal health or fitness goals are the most common, cited by 80% of goal-setters.
- Financial goals are next, at 69%, followed by personal development goals (59%).
- Half of goal-setters say they will set work or career goals, but this rises to 59% when based on goal-setters who are of preretirement age (younger than 65).
- About four in 10 adults are likely to set goals for their relationships or social life.
- About a third will set religious or spiritual goals.
A Third of Goal-Setters Plan to Take Steps to Achieve Them
Goal setting is widely touted as crucial to success in various life domains. But scores of personal development experts insist that achieving goals requires writing them down, determining the specific steps needed to reach them and tracking one’s progress.
So how closely will Americans hew to this familiar advice this year?
- 48% of goal-setters say they will write their goals down
- 49% say they will create an action plan that lists the specific steps needed to reach each goal
- 95% say they will continue focusing on their goals throughout the year
Taking all three behaviors into account, most goal-setters fall into one of two groups.
About a third (34%) will likely wing it, saying they will neither write down their goals nor create action steps to reach them but plan to focus on them throughout the year.
Another third (32%) might be described as diligent planners, intending to adopt all three strategies.
Read more here.
