Don't "Drop the Ball" on These New Year's Resolutions!

NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With 2012 rapidly approaching, many Americans will be making New Year's Resolutions (view infographic) to improve upon themselves in the coming year. A new study from local market consumer research firm Scarborough reveals some of the likely New Year's Resolution topics for the over 235 million American adults age 18+. There are six major categories for New Year's Resolutions as determined by Scarborough: Voting, Financial, Technology, Fitness, Education and Eco-friendliness.

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2012 is not only a new year – it is an election year. Since 19% of American adults assert that they never vote in presidential elections, 2012 is a prime year for Voting Resolutions to be made. Generationally speaking, Gen Y* and Gen X* represent the biggest opportunities for a change in voting behavior as 34% and 21% respectively say they never vote in presidential elections. For comparison, 72% of all American adults say they always vote in presidential elections.

Financial Resolutions are also popular. Only 22% of American adults say they live in a household that has a 401K plan and 20% have an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Additionally, 67% have a savings account and 86% have a checking account. There is ample opportunity for the 14% of American adults who have none of these financial services for their household to set a Financial Resolution. 57% of the Silent Generation* say they have a savings account for their household while Baby Boomers* ranked highest for having a checking account (84%) or an IRA (23%).

How about becoming more technologically savvy as a resolution? 13% of American adults live in a household that plans to purchase an eReader, HDTV or smartphone in the next 12 months. A Technology Resolution, with a focus on commitment to learning new platforms, would bring the two older generations up-to-speed with their younger counterparts. Baby Boomers are 13% less likely than all American adults to plan to purchase an eReader, HDTV or smartphone in the next 12 months and the Silent Generation is 61% less likely to do the same.

Fitness is an area that is revisited annually by resolution-makers. Despite this enthusiasm for fitness, only 20% of American adults belong to a gym. In the past 12 months, 77% of adults said they were not runners or joggers and 91% did not do yoga or Pilates.

When it comes to education, 6% of American adults plan on returning to school in the next 12 months and 26% hold a college degree or higher. Gen Y was the generation most interested in returning to school in the next 12 months (17%). Additionally, Gen X had the highest percentage with a college degree or higher (34%).

Another area in which American adults may want to challenge themselves in 2012 is in eco-friendly activities. 34% of American adults do not recycle glass, plastic or paper on a regular basis and 83% do not buy organic food.

Adults across the U.S. may consider embracing these resolutions, but there are many local markets that already have a head start:

• Voting (Minneapolis and Detroit – 80% of adults always vote in presidential elections)
• Financial (Seattle, WA and Green Bay, WI – 93% of adults have a savings, checking or 401K in the household)
• Technology (San Diego – 17% of adults live in a household that plans to purchase an eReader, HDTV, or smartphone)
• Fitness (San Francisco – 27% of adults belong to a health club)
• Education (El Paso, TX – 12% of adults have plans to return to school in the next year)
• Eco-friendliness (Green Bay, WI – 97% of adults engage in at least one eco-friendly activity on a regular basis)

*Scarborough defines the different American generations as Generation Y (age 18-29), Generation X (30-44), Baby Boomers (45-64) and the Silent Generation (65+).

Continue the dialogue with Scarborough over Twitter by reaching out to @ScarboroughInfo using hashtags #2012, #HappyNewYear and #Resolutions and be sure to visit us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ScarboroughResearch.

This data used in this report is from Scarborough USA+, Release 1 2011. Scarborough measures 210,000 adults aged 18+ annually across a wide variety of media, lifestyle, shopping and demographic categories in 77 local markets.

For more information regarding this or other Scarborough Studies, please contact Brad Sherer at [email protected].

About Scarborough Research

Scarborough ([email protected]) measures American life. Our consumer insights reflect shopping patterns, media usage across platforms and lifestyle trends for adults. Media professionals and marketers use Scarborough insights to make smarter marketing/business decisions on things like ad placement, multicultural targeting, and sponsorship opportunities. The company's core syndicated consumer insight studies in 77 Top‐Tier Markets, its Multi‐Market Study and its national USA+ Study are Media Rating Council (MRC) accredited. Other products and services include Scarborough Mid‐Tier Local Market Studies, Hispanic Studies and Custom Research Solutions. Scarborough measures 2,000 consumer categories and serves a broad client base that includes marketers, advertising agencies, print and electronic media (broadcast and cable television, radio stations), sports teams and leagues and out‐of‐home media companies. Surveying more than 210,000 adults annually, Scarborough is a joint venture between Arbitron Inc. and The Nielsen Company.

SOURCE Scarborough Research