Quitting smoking, losing weight, spending more time with family or learning something new.
These are amongst the top New Year’s resolutions made by Australians according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
"After a two year consultation with Australians we’ve looked at information about our Society, Economy, Governance and the Environment and overall, Australia is in pretty good shape with more progress, than regress,” says Fiona Dowsley of the ABS. “This is a great result.”
So how do your personal resolutions match up to Australia’s?
Ms Dowsley said that if you’re thinking of quitting smoking in 2014, you’re likely to not be alone.
“The national smoking rate has decreased consistently over the past decade, from 22% in 2001 to 16% in 2011-12, so more of us are definitely quitting.
“However we’re not doing as well with our weight loss efforts, with the proportion of adults who are overweight or obese rising to 63% in 2011-12,” said Ms Dowsley.
Many of us also promise to spend more time with family.
"We put a big importance on taking time to nurture close relationships. However, the amount of Australians who are feeling too rushed or pressed for time has increased from 35% in 1997 to 45% in 2006."
And if you’re thinking of studying in 2014?
Ms Dowsley said that the number of people aged 25-64 years with a post-school qualification has risen from 54% in 2002 to 67% in 2013.
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