SKOUT New Year's Survey Reveals 2016 Trends and How Friends Can Help You Stick to Resolutions

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Tis the season for making New Year's resolutions so SKOUT, the global app that helps you meet new people and expand your social circle, recently surveyed more than 3,700 people in the U.S. to determine resolution trends for 2016. It turns out that friends can play a big role in helping you have a better year, whether your resolutions involve dieting, exercising more, landing a new job or saving more money.

Here are some of the survey highlights:

When it comes to health and fitness...

Friends make it easier to stick with exercising.

• The vast majority (78%) of people say they plan to exercise more in 2016, but 26% of people who make this resolution will only do it if they do it with a friend and 84% say they get a better workout when they exercise with a friend.

Dieters don't need fancy fitness gadgets, but they do need friendly encouragement.

• When it comes to fitness gadgets, the fitness bracelet is least popular.
• While only 18% of people say they prefer to go on a diet with a friend, 54% say support from friends makes it easier to adhere to diet changes.

In the love and relationships department...

Blind dates are in, open relationships are out in 2016.

• 73% of men and 60% of women are open to their friends setting them up on dates.
• The relationship trend most people want to go away in 2016 is open relationships.

There's always room for more friends.

• 82% of people hope to make new friends in 2016.

Let's talk work and money...

Movin' on up!

• 55% of people say they plan to look for a new job and 92% say they plan to resolve to save more money in 2016.

Friends with job benefits.

• More than half of people (53%) have gotten a job as a result of a friend.

More friends = more likely to get promoted.

• 62% of people surveyed who have 7+ good friends have received a promotion in the past year compared to 57% who have 4-6 good friends, 53% who have 2-3 good friends and 48% who have 1 good friend.

Saving is contagious among friends.

• 53% of people who have 7+ good friends say they'll save more money for retirement compared to 43% of people with only 2-3 friends.

Upgrading your style...

New year, new look.

• 82% of women, and 71% of men, say they plan to improve their look in 2016.
• In case you're wondering, harem pants and man buns were the top fashion trends Skouters say they are happy to see disappear in 2016!

Want to feel more stylish in 2016? Focus on your squad.

• The more good friends people have, the more likely they are to receive compliments about their style! 73% of women who have 7+ good friends say their friends tell them they are stylish, compared to 65% who have 4-6 good friends, 60% who have 2-3 good friends and 55% who have one good friend.

With all of these findings, SKOUT's community manager Nikki Castellanos offers the following five ways friends can help you have a better 2016:

1. Enlist a workout buddy, and then go one step further. Set up goals together, like training for a half-marathon or completing an obstacle course race in 2016.
2. Looking for love? Ask your friends to set you up on blind dates, and set a goal to go out on one at least once a month.
3. Share your career aspirations with friends. Friends may be the key to finding your dream job, or snagging a promotion.
4. Discuss your investment goals with friends. You don't have to get down to dollars and cents, but it makes sense (pun intended!) to tell your friends what works for you, and ask them to do the same.
5. Tired of your same old look but don't know where to start?  Schedule a Saturday afternoon makeover with a friend.  Not only is it free, but you'll get honest advice and you can try out your new look on Saturday night!

This survey was conducted online in November 2015 among 3,791 SKOUT  users in the United States. To view an infographic with these findings, visit the SKOUT blog at http://bit.ly/skout_2016trends.

To download SKOUT for iOS or Android, or to sign up online, visit www.skout.com. You can also find SKOUT on Facebook and Twitter.

About SKOUT 
SKOUT is the leading global app for meeting new people and expanding your social circle. The SKOUT community spans more than 180 countries, is available in 14 languages and can be downloaded on iOS, Android and Windows devices. The Andreessen Horowitz backed company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in San Francisco. Visit www.skout.com to learn more.

SOURCE SKOUT

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