Tulane University students are known as the “work hard, play hard” type. Do their New Year’s resolutions reflect this attitude? 

Three in 10 American adults reported making a resolution in 2024, according to a Pew Research Center poll. Young adults, aged 18 to 29, were by far the most resolved group, with nearly half reporting making a resolution. In the same poll, 79% of those surveyed had goals related to health, exercise or diet.  

A similar trend was visible within The Hullabaloo’s sample of students. In all, 49 students responded to the poll, submitting up to three resolutions each. A total of 103 New Year’s resolutions were submitted. The majority of respondents were sophomores and juniors, making up 39% and 33% of the sample, respectively.  

25 of the 49 total respondents had at least one resolution related to health, exercise or diet, equivalent to 37% of the total number of resolutions. This was more than double the number of resolutions in any other category.  

Within this category, resolutions could be best separated into those related to exercise, diet, sleep, mental health and drugs/alcohol. Resolutions to exercise more frequently or more effectively were the most common, closely followed by those concerning diet.

Resolutions concerning hobbies or personal interests were the second most common. This year, students mostly intend to read for pleasure and journal more often, though some less typical hobbies, such as learning to juggle fire, were also mentioned.

Much of the “other” category was made up of resolutions having to do with personal improvement in the broadest sense, including statements such as “to be more confident in myself,” “to make more time for myself” and “to be a better person by consistently practicing kindness, compassion, empathy, and patience.” Five respondents of the 49 indicated that they did not make a resolution this year, in some cases emphasizing that their intention was to aim for improvement throughout the year rather than simply on January 1.

Whether you set your intentions to improve at the start of each year or some other point is not particularly important. What matters is that we reflect on our values and strive to act more in accordance with them, a process that involves both playing hard and working hard as we act in new ways, make mistakes and learn to correct them. This is one thing that no poll can tell us.