Survey: What's on Americans' New Year's Resolutions Lists?

Saving money tops the list. Getting to the dentist more and improving oral health beat out joining a gym

News provided by

Dec 30, 2017, 05:00 ET

OAK BROOK, Ill., Dec. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It's that time of the year. As people reflect on 2017 and what they'd like to do differently in 2018, a recent survey by Delta Dental looks at what soon-to-be resolutions are at the top of Americans' lists.

While nearly one quarter (23 percent) of American adults have stated that they don't plan to make a New Year's resolution, those that do have some practical plans.

The top resolution: saving more money (53 percent). While both sexes have this at the top, women (57 percent) say it'll be a higher priority than men do (48 percent).

One of the more surprising findings, getting to the dentist more (15 percent) and improving oral health (20 percent) both beat out the long-standing favorite of joining a gym (12 percent) and going to the doctor more (11 percent).

Americans will be watching their waistlines, as losing weight comes in a strong second at 46 percent. Improving overall health ranked third (42 percent) and going to the gym more comes in at 18 percent.

"We're glad to see so many Americans making an early commitment to getting to the dentist and improving their oral health in the New Year," said Bill Kohn, DDS, Delta Dental Plans Association's vice president of dental science and policy. "A healthy smile means better overall health and that's a great goal for 2018."

About the survey: The DDPA Fall 2017 Survey was conducted between November 6 and November 13, 2017 among 1,006 nationally representative Americans 18+. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percent.

Follow us on Twitter @DeltaDental and Facebook: Delta Dental Plans Association

About Delta Dental Plans Association
Delta Dental Plans Association, based in Oak Brook, Ill., is the not-for-profit national association of the 39 independent Delta Dental companies. Through its companies, Delta Dental is the nation's leading dental benefits provider, covering more than 75 million Americans, and offering the country's largest dental network with roughly 152,000 participating dentists. Delta Dental companies invested more than 69 million dollars in 2016 to help improve oral healthcare in local communities across the country. For more information, visit our website at deltadental.com.

SOURCE Delta Dental Plans Association