Poll Reveals Men More Likely Than Women to Keep Their New Year`s Resolutions
NEW YORK--(Business Wire)--
A study commissioned by Dorthy.com and conducted by Harris Interactive® reveals
that, while women are more likely than men to make New Year`s resolutions (74%
of women versus 58% of men) among adults who have ever made a resolution, men
are more likely than women to always or often keep them (22% of men versus 14%
of women). Men who have ever made a New Year`s resolution are also more likely
than their female counterparts to always or often share their resolutions with
their spouses (41% of men versus 29% of women).
Conducted in November, the survey polled more than 2,000 adults in the U.S. ages
18+, asking how the U.S. population sets and achieves their New Year`s
resolutions.
The study also revealed the following about dreams and New Year`s resolutions:
* 66% of adults have ever made a New Year`s resolution but only 17% always or
often keep them
* Men and women who have dreams in life cited financial limitations as the
number one obstacle (36%) preventing them from achieving their dreams, followed
by lack of time and/or motivation (14%)
* 33% of adults who have dreams in life have used online tools such as search
engines and social networking sites to help them achieve their dreams
"My own research shows that 50 percent of individual differences in happiness
are governed by genes, 10 percent by life circumstances, and the remaining 40
percent by what we do and how we think," says Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of
Psychology at UC Riverside and author of the How of Happiness. "The secret to
happiness lies in that 40 percent. If we observe genuinely happy people, we find
that they do not just sit around being contented. They make things happen. They
pursue new understandings, seek new achievements, and control their thoughts and
feelings."
Dorthy.com is a destination site that empowers people to achieve their dreams -
which can be everything from running a marathon to buying a first home. By
pulling not only demographic data but also psychographic data, Dorthy.com is a
new kind of site that filters and focuses all the information on the web around
a user`s interests providing hyper- targeted content and connections based on
each users ideals and philosophies.
"The New Year is often the one time of year when people start thinking about
their goals and dreams, only to end up back where they started the following
year," says Jordan English Gross, COO and founder, Dorthy.com. "Dorthy.com was
founded on the belief that we all have dreams, but may not know how to make them
happen. We are here to help people discover what is possible and ultimately
achieve whatever their interest is - big or small."
About the Survey
The New Year`s Resolutions survey was conducted online within the United States
by Harris Interactive on behalf of Dorthy.com between October 31 and November 4,
2008, among 2,256 U.S. adults ages 18+, of whom 1,495 have ever made a New
Year`s resolution. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and
therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For
complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact
Diane.Hepps@bitepr.com.
About Dorthy.com
Dorthy.com is a new destination site that provides people with the relevant
content, connections, and tools needed to achieve their dreams. The site filters
and focuses the web around a user`s interests providing targeted information
based on their distinct ideals and philosophies. Visit http://www.dorthy.com to
sign up for the exclusive private beta.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and
rich history in multimodal research that is powered by our science and
technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive
serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices
and a network of independent market research firms. For more information, please
visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
Bite Communications
Diane Hepps, 212-857-9385
diane.hepps@bitepr.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
