By 2023, more women will be mindful of their mental health and young people more mindful of their wallets, a survey by Léger-Le Journal shows who sees the traditional “move more” at the top of the list of good resolutions.
“Loss weight”, “eat better” and above all “move more” are the three resolutions most frequently mentioned by Quebecers surveyed by Léger at the beginning of December.
Not surprisingly, more than one in three respondents (36%) intend to go to the gym more often or exercise more.
In fact, almost half of those over 55 aspire to exercise more (47%).
“The concern for health is there and it is important,” says pollster Jean-Marc Léger.
We can also see the reflection of the “culture of the image” that is ubiquitous today, suggests Mircea Vultur, sociologist of work and professor at the National Institute for Scientific Research.
youth and hope
Overall, 40% of people intend to make a resolution this year, meaning the majority (60%) will not.
However, for young people aged between 18 and 34, the opposite is true: the majority (61%) intend to take it.
“Young people are in a phase of their lives in which they have all sorts of projects,” observes Mircea Vultur, who specializes in the professional integration of young people.
Therefore, at a certain point, you have to decide on a certain direction, he explains.
Added to this are the willingness to take risks, idealism and revolution, which are characteristics of youth.
“When you’re young, you have a lot of hope. The older you get, the more fatalistic you become. [Tu crois davantage] Resolutions are useless. That you will not follow them, ”interprets Jean-Marc Léger for his part.
When we compare results by political affiliation, we find that Québec solidaire (QS) voters are the most willing to pass resolutions (55%).
This statistical difference could simply be due to the fact that QS’s constituency is younger, suggests Mr. Léger.
The meaning of money
Money-related topics such as “saving or paying off debt” and “consuming or spending less” come right after health-related topics.
Young people are more likely (22%) than the general population (16%) to “earn more money”.
“The importance of money among our millennials is evident in all of our surveys,” notes Mr. Léger.
That doesn’t surprise Mircea Vultur. In general, young people have less money, which partly explains their desire to earn more.
In addition, there are employment opportunities that are multiplying due to the shortage of workers. Mr. Vultur also observes an “addiction to quick bucks”.
Some also need to rebuild their cushion after the pandemic. “Many have lost their jobs” due to the exit restrictions, he recalls.
mental strain
Comparing resolutions by gender reveals only one statistical difference: “Improvement [sa] psychological health”.
“For women, mental health is much more important (23%) than for men (11%),” notes Mr. Léger.
“Most of the time, women engage in relationships that arouse their emotions and that consist of caring for others,” analyzes Mr. Vultur.
Added to this is the psychological strain on mothers when they come home and have to take care of everything.
Also, men are more likely to fail to recognize the importance of mental health and deny that they are suffering, Vultur adds.
methodology : Web survey conducted December 7-10, 2022 among 1002 Quebecers from the LEO online panel. The results were weighted to ensure a representative sample of the population. The margin of error does not apply to a panel, but for comparison, a probability sample of 1002 respondents would have a margin of error of 3.1%, namely 19 out of 20.
Do you have any information about this story that you would like to share with us?
Do you have a scoop that might be of interest to our readers?