One In Two Young Adults Makes A New Year Resolution

(MENAFN- B2Press) Store windows are decorated, new year collections are on the shelves, and new year holiday or entertainment plans are already being made. An English language learning platform has explored how New Year is celebrated in different cultures.

With the end of November and the beginning of the final month of the year, the excitement for the new year began not only in Türkiye but around the world. As the whole world prepares to bid farewell to 2024, store windows are decorated, new year collections are on the shelves, and New Year's Eve parties or holiday plans have been made. Preply, an online English course platform that wanted to explore this sweet frenzy on a global scale, shared a new report on its website, where it examined new year rituals and traditions around the world.

In the section titled“The History of New Year Celebrations,” it is mentioned that according to the Britannica Encyclopedia, the earliest known record of New Year celebrations dates back to 2000 BC in Mesopotamia. Over time, with the widespread use of the Gregorian calendar, January 1st became recognized as the start of the new year. The Preply experts also dedicated a section to“New Year's Resolution,” the English term for the New Year's goals people set. According to a study by the US-based Pew Research, nearly half (49%) of young adults aged 18-29 are more likely to make New Year's resolutions or set New Year goals, while only about 1 in 5 adults over 50 are likely to do the same. The report also shared examples of New Year resolutions for 2025 and listed the first and last countries to enter the new year according to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which are Kiribati and Baker and Howland Islands.

The report, enriched with research references, states that most people who make New Year resolutions focus on health, exercise, or diet goals. 61% of participants place financial issues at the top of their New Year's resolutions, while 57% prioritize personal relationships. Additionally, 55% of respondents decide to take up a new hobby, such as learning a foreign language, and almost half of them prioritize work and career goals.

The study, based on follow-up questions asked less than a month before the next year begins, revealed that 87% of participants manage to stay committed to at least some of the New Year goals they set. Meanwhile, 13% reported that they failed to achieve any of their resolutions.

The research, conducted by Preply experts, who brought together more than 50,000 qualified language teachers from around the world, took readers on a global tour of New Year rituals, from the poinsettias seen on the streets of Istanbul to the tradition of the ball drop in Times Square, from the tradition of eating 12 grapes in Spain to the ringing of bells 108 times in Japan, from hanging onions on the door in Greece to finding 12 round fruits in the Philippines. The researchers pointed out that elements such as religion, culture, and language, which are considered the basic building blocks of community, also influence New Year traditions. They emphasized that New Year celebrations are often associated with unity and a sense of belonging, and noted that the New Year serves as a natural motivation for people to change for the better. The report concluded with examples of English New Year greeting messages.

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