Brandwatch Bulletin #101: 2022’s Most Popular Resolutions

Have you set yours?

7 January 2022

We hope you’re settling well into the New Year. Today we’re looking at how many people are making resolutions, what resolutions they’re setting, and how this compares to previous years.

Let’s get to it.

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New year, new tweets

Another year dawns and we are ready to forge new paths into the future as we leave our old ways behind. Or at least that’s what we tell ourselves when we set new year resolutions.

Last year we looked at how the pandemic influenced resolution making, both in how likely we were to set them and the kinds that we made. We found that not only did fewer people make resolutions, but that we became more interested in connecting with friends and family as we went into 2021.

Twelves months have passed and we decided to take another look at the data with some minor changes. The query and categories (the searches that we did around resolutions online) have remained the same, but instead of mention volume, we’re looking at the number of authors instead. It doesn’t change a huge amount, but it gives us a clearer image of what we’re trying to understand: not so much how many resolutions are made, but instead how many people are making them.

First, let’s look at how many people are talking about their new year resolutions compared to previous years.

Talking about our resolutions online has been slipping in popularity since the 2016 new year was celebrated. This reached its lowest ebb as we went into 2021. We weren’t surprised at this as we expected the pandemic had dulled people’s optimism and expectations.

But after another twelve months of Covid there’s been a reversal in the trend with the most people posting their resolutions since 2018. Obviously the pandemic is far from over but a mixture of hardened mindsets and vaccine-induced hope may have sparked positivity and determination in some.

Whether big or small, we wish everyone the best of luck with their resolutions. Especially this one.

Have our resolutions changed?

Next we’re looking at the types of resolutions we made. Last year we found a shift away from diets and saving money and towards reconnecting with those closest to us. After months of lockdowns and isolation, these resolutions showed how the pandemic had impacted our priorities.

If people are going into 2022 more optimistic, particularly with vaccines making contact somewhat safer, has there been another shift in our chosen resolutions?

That looks to be the case.

Seeing family and friends remains high, but we have a new winner. Learning something was this year’s top resolution, while reading more kept its 3rd place. With exercise and losing weight both climbing a spot again, it looks like people are thinking about their mind and body in 2022.

Having said that, reducing drinking fell another spot. Does this mean people are planning on drinking more in 2022? For some this could certainly be the case, but for others it’s possible they’re simply happy with the level they’re currently at. We’ll likely take a look at this topic more closely when we’re a couple of weeks into Dry January.

Whatever the case, it looks like the pandemic and our attempts to end it have had some effect on our plans for the future and what we consider important. Then again, others are realising that, no matter what the state of the world is, they’re already living their best lives.

What should we cover next?

Is there a topic, trend, or industry you’d like us to feature in the Brandwatch Bulletin? We want to hear your ideas to make sure our readers are getting what they want. We may even ask to interview you if you’re involved with the topic.

Send any and all ideas to [email protected] and let’s talk.

Thanks for reading

That’s it for today, but we’ll be back next Friday. If you were forwarded this email and want in on the action, get subscribed to the Brandwatch Bulletin now.

Stay safe,

The Brandwatch React team

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