NZers resolving to do better in 2007
NZPA | Friday, 29 December 2006

New Zealanders plan to exercise more, achieve a better work/life balance and spend more time with their families in 2007, a new survey on New Year's resolutions reveals.

The survey from research company ACNielsen of 500 New Zealanders amongst a global survey of 25,408 people found that 37 per cent of New Zealanders were making New Year's resolutions for next year.

The most popular resolution was to exercise more - 71 per cent of those making resolutions were planning that.

That made New Zealanders significantly more ambitious on the exercise front than the global figure of 62 per cent.

The next most popular resolution was to achieve a better work/life balance (49 per cent), then spending more time with family (29 per cent), taking up a new hobby (25 per cent) and going on a diet (23 per cent).

People were more worried about cutting down or giving up smoking (18 per cent) than wanted to cut down or stop drinking alcohol (8 per cent).

More cryptically, 13 per cent of people wanted to avoid disastrous personal relationships, while 10 per cent of New Zealanders wanted to change jobs.