Health takes top spot among New Year's resolutions, survey finds

BOSTON — People making New Year's resolutions, mostly centered around health, this year say they behave more responsibly than they did five years ago compared with those not making them, according to a new survey.

The online survey, by Liberty Mutual Insurance, included more than 1,700 adults, gauging how Americans define personal responsibility and how their perception of it varies with age, marital status, gender and whether they have children.

The survey found that 46% of respondents defined personal responsibility as "doing what's expected of you or what you're supposed to do" compared with 31% who defined it as "admitting to or owning mistakes" and 23% who defined it as "doing something especially hard or challenging."

The survey also found that fitness, exercise and healthy eating were among the top resolutions, with 46% of respondents creating resolutions around fitness and exercise and 37% creating diet-related resolutions. Meanwhile, 26% had resolutions concerning family and 22% had resolutions concerning spirituality or managing personal finances.

Parents were more likely than non-parents to make resolutions, with 46% of parents making them, compared with 33% of non-parents, and 50% of mothers making resolutions, compared with 41% of fathers. In addition, 58% of those aged 18-34 were likely to make resolutions, compared with 22% of those aged 50-64, and 47% of singles were likely to make a resolution, compared with 30% of married people.