Why Family and Faith Are Dominating Americans’ Top New Year’s Resolutions in 2026

A recent survey from YouGov found that Americans seek to prioritize faith and family in 2026. Although 51% of respondents said they will not make a New Year’s resolution or goal, about a third of respondents responded positively to 2026 goals.

While the most common goal was “exercising more” (25%), other resolutions included “spending more time with family” (15%) and “praying more” (15%).

Other popular goals included “being happy” (23%), “eating healthier” (22%), “saving more money” (21%), “improving physical health” (21%), “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%),” and even “moving” (6%).

Half of respondents said it is “somewhat likely” that they will keep their resolutions.

More Republicans than Democrats (19% to 15%) said they would be praying more. The same was said about spending time with family, as 19% of Republicans and 14% of Democrats shared the goal.

According to YouGov, adults under the age of 45 are more likely to strive to save more money than those over the age of 45 (30% vs 14%). Those younger than 45 are also more likely to pursue a career goal, improve their mental health, and learn something new.

Interestingly, 15% of respondents believe things are “very bad” in the United States, and 28% of people said 2025 was “terrible” for the nation. Despite this belief, 17% of people think 2026 will be “good” for the country while another 14% believe it will be “great.”

This article originally appeared on American Faith and is reposted with permission.