Now that 2019 is in full swing, many will be turning their thoughts to the year ahead and looking at what positive changes they can make for the New Year. Figures released today have revealed the UK is now as likely to give up on meat as it is alcohol, as the trend of veganism continues to boom.
VoucherCodes.co.uk, the leading savings site, surveyed over 2,000 people across the country and discovered that 2,662,900 Brits will be aiming to avoid eating and using animal products as part of Veganuary in the New Year. Indeed, 1 in 20 (5%) will not consume meat or dairy products in January – making Veganuary as popular as those attempting Dry January (6%).
Indeed, young adults (16-24 year olds) are particularly invested in the veganism trend, with a tenth (8%) aiming to go vegan compared to 7% who are planning to go without alcohol.
A third of Brits (37%) say they undertake a New Year’s resolution to improve their health and well-being, while a quarter (27%) do it to challenge themselves. For some, however, it is an opportunity to prove they can achieve something they have previously failed to do (15%).
New Year’s resolutions
After the excitement and excess of Christmas, many Brits view the New Year as a chance to wipe the slate clean. A third of Brits (34%) believe January represents an opportunity for ‘New Year new me’ and two-thirds (67%) have already decided on a New Year’s resolution.
Amidst the festivities in the lead up to Christmas, we are perhaps prone to missing the occasional gym session. It is unsurprising, then, that more than two out of five Brits (44%) resolve to exercise more in 2019. However, despite the average person spending £39.55 per month on their renewed ambition of getting fit, the research has discovered half (50%) will have given up by March. Indeed, just a third (35%) will continue to make the most of their gym memberships for more than six months.
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Top New Year’s resolutions |
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Save more money |
44% |
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Exercise more |
44% |
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Eat more healthily |
40% |
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Read more books |
23% |
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Learn a new skill |
18% |
Perhaps prompted by overindulging in too much food and booze over Christmas, two out of five Brits (40%) aim to eat more healthily in the New Year and a tenth (12%) want to cut down on their alcohol consumption. While the typical Brit claims they would be able to eat healthy for just three months, the research has found alcohol is a much tougher feat – particularly for men. Indeed, a quarter (26%) say they wouldn’t be able to do it at all while the average man wouldn’t reach the end of February. On the other hand, half of women (48%) believe they would still be going strong in July.
Brexit impacting millennial aspirations
While we are pretty confident with plans for New Year’s resolutions, the longer-term future is out of our hands with Brexit expected to impact both the economy and jobs. This is particularly the case for millennials (16-34 year olds), with more than a quarter (28%) admitting they’re uncertain what the immediate future holds and two out five (43%) saying Brexit will impact their decisions.
The research has discovered that millennials are most worried about money, with two out of five (41%) admitting that their top goal for the new year is to be financially secure. Half believe it will be harder to save money in 2019 (49%) and plan to cut back as a result of Brexit (49%), causing three out of five (60%) to confess they will rely more heavily on sales and discounts.
