More exercise tops list of 2020 New Year resolutions

Published: 07/01/20

 

More exercise tops list of 2020 New Year resolutions, as eco-friendly goals fall by the wayside.

Research by ForwardMotion reveals that the most popular New Year’s resolutions for 2020 are to exercise more and eat more healthily, selected by 57% and 54% of people planning to make New Year resolutions.

The survey, conducted by YouGov, highlights that just over a quarter (27%) have plans for an eco-friendly New Year resolution.

When asked about their primary motivation, 28% are driven by being healthier, followed by 17% who want to lose weight and 16% who want to improve their financial situation.

Of those who are planning to make a resolution, most feel they will stick to them, with nearly two thirds (64%) feeling they are likely to keep them for the whole of 2020.

Cllr Ron Woodley, Chair of the South Essex Active Travel Sponsoring Board, comments: “Exercising more has always been a popular New Year resolution, but it’s also one that a lot of people struggle to keep. One way to fulfil this is to regularly cycle or walk to work, education or training. Cycling and walking are often cheaper than travelling by car and are an easy way to incorporate exercise into everyday schedules.

“To help people stick to their resolution to exercise more, we are encouraging people to swap one car journey to one by bike or on foot in January. The ForwardMotion team is on hand to provide south Essex residents with advice, information and ideas about how to travel more actively. Once you’ve made the journey, you just need to tell ForwardMotion about it, using the hashtag #tryjanuary, and you could be in with a chance of winning £250 towards a new bike or cycle equipment.”

Despite the low percentage of people planning to make a New Year’s resolution who are pledging to be more eco-friendly, almost a quarter of Brits (24%) are planning to drive their car less in 2020. People in the East of England are particularly keen on reducing the amount they drive, with 29% planning to do this next year.

Cllr Woodley adds: “It’s encouraging to see so many people planning to drive less in 2020. With road transport accounting for a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, swapping a daily commute by car for a journey by bike or walking could have a significant impact.[1]

“People are clearly thinking about the ways in which they can personally reduce emissions levels, and we expect sustainable resolutions will become more popular over the next few years.”

The data in this article is taken from a survey of 2,108 GB adults, conducted online by YouGov from 13 to 16 December 2019.

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