With 2017 nearly upon us, it’s time to make New Year’s resolutions! Some teens have already gotten a jumpstart. According to a survey of 500 U.S. teens, conducted by Junior Achievement USA and ORC International, more than 1 in 4 teens (27%) who are planning to make a New Year’s resolution consider working harder in school a top priority in 2017. The survey of 13-to-17-year-olds revealed that 1 in 5 teens (18%) want to make saving money/learning to better manage money their New Year’s resolution.
“Many see the New Year as a fresh start. It’s encouraging that many teens see improving academic performance and better understanding money among the top resolutions for the coming year,” said Jack E. Kosakowski, president and CEO of Junior Achievement USA. “It’s very important that teens are wanting to take these steps and seeking the resources to do so.”
Other top New Year’s resolutions included losing weight/being more fit (23%), eating healthier (11%), and appreciating family/friends more (11%). Ten percent weren’t sure.
Junior Achievement is the nation's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to categorize needs and wants, own their economic success, plan for their futures, and make smart academic and economic choices. Junior Achievement's programs—in the core content areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy—ignite the spark in young people to experience and realize the opportunities and realities of work and life in the 21st century.
Methodology
This report presents the findings of an Opinion Research Corporation’s Youth CARAVAN survey conducted among a sample of 500 13-17 year olds. Respondents for this survey are selected from among those who have volunteered to participate in online surveys and polls. Because the sample is based on those who initially self-selected for participation, no estimates of sampling error are calculated.