Will you make a New Year resolution?
With less than one week to go before the end of the year, 88 per cent of Thais have already decided on their New Year resolutions, with 70 per cent promising to exercise more and 67 per cent striving for a better home/work balance, according to market research and information company ACNielsen.
The organisation questioned 25,408 Internet users around the world, including 500 from Thailand, about their New Year resolutions as part of the ACNielsen Online Consumer Opinion Survey, conducted in late October and early November. Thais rank third in the world for their intention to make New Year resolutions, with 88 per cent firmly planning to make personal promises and more than half expecting to stick to them. Leading the world in plans to turn over a new leaf were the Vietnamese, with nine in every 10 planning to make resolutions, followed closely by Koreans, with 89 per cent. The survey put questions to Internet users in 46 markets from Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America, the Baltics and the Middle East. Thailand's 500 respondents were aged 15 and above. Commitments to exercise more and seek a better work/life balance take the top two places in all regions. The order of importance for the rest of the top five Thai resolutions are: taking up a new hobby, 58 per cent; going on a diet, 49 per cent; and spending more time with the family, 47 per cent. Interestingly, changing jobs is the least popular plan. "People make New Year resolutions to make up for the things they should have done - but didn't - in the past year," said ACNielsen (Thailand) managing director Chantira Luesakul. "Our findings show there is a strong desire to make resolutions among Thais. Exercising more and seeking a better work/life balance are both designed to set us on a path to a better, healthier 2007." Thailand tops the world for people planning to take up a new hobby (58 per cent) and to cut down on alcohol (18 per cent), while Vietnam leads the way for people seeking a better work/life balance (84 per cent). The Philippines has the most people wanting to exercise more (77 per cent) and in Malaysia 52 per cent want to diet. Latin Americans are the most likely to make a resolution (71 per cent), followed by people in Asia-Pacific (65 per cent). While just over one-third of Japanese say they will make a resolution, 13 per cent feel sure they will not stick to it.
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