NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 If you're planning on ringing in the new year quietly at home, you're not alone.
A majority of U.S adults intend to celebrate New Year鈥檚 Eve at home, according to a new poll by .
鈥淎s I鈥檝e gotten older over the last few years, it鈥檚 like if I don鈥檛 make it to midnight, it鈥檚 not a big deal, you know?鈥 says Carla Woods, 70, from Vinton, Iowa.
Nearly 2 in 10 will be celebrating at a friend or family member鈥檚 home, and just 5% plan to go out to celebrate at a bar, restaurant or organized event, the poll found.
But many U.S. adults will celebrate the new year in a different way 鈥 by making a resolution. More than half say they'll make at least one resolution for 2025.
There's some optimism about the year ahead, although more than half aren't expecting a positive change. About 4 in 10 say 2025 will be a better year for them personally. About one-third don鈥檛 expect much of a difference between 2024 and 2025, and about one-quarter think 2025 will be a worse year than 2024.
Relaxed New Year's Eve plans for many
Kourtney Kershaw, a 32-year-old bartender in Chicago, often fields questions from customers and friends about upcoming events for New Year's Eve. She said this year is trending toward low-key.
鈥淎 majority of who I鈥檝e spoken to in my age range, they want to go out, but they don鈥檛 know what they鈥檙e going to do because they haven鈥檛 found anything or things are just really expensive,鈥 she said. 鈥淧arty packages or an entry fee are like a turnoff, especially with the climate of the world and how much things cost.鈥
As expected, younger people are more interested in ringing in the new year at a bar or organized event 鈥 about 1 in 10 U.S. adults under 30 say they plan to do that. But about 3 in 10 older adults 鈥 60 and above 鈥 say they won鈥檛 celebrate the beginning of 2025 at all.
Anthony Tremblay, 35, from Pittsburgh, doesn't usually go out to toast the arrival of the new year, but this year he's got something special cooked up: He and his wife will be traveling through Ireland.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 do anything too crazy for New Year鈥檚, usually. So this is definitely a change,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 wanted to do something unique this year, so I did.鈥
Woods will be working New Year鈥檚 Eve and New Year鈥檚 Day. She answers calls on The Iowa Warmline, a confidential, noncrisis listening line for people struggling with mental health or substance use issues.
鈥淗olidays are really hard for people, so I don鈥檛 mind working,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 passionate about it because I have mental health issues in the family and so being able to help people is rewarding to me.鈥
Younger Americans are more likely to make a resolution
Every New Year's also triggers the eternal debate about resolutions. A majority of U.S. adults say they intend to make a New Year鈥檚 resolution of some type, but millennials and Gen Z are especially likely to be on board 鈥 about two-thirds expect to do so, compared to about half of older adults. Women are also more likely than men to say they will set a goal for 2025.
Tremblay hopes to lose some weight and focus more on self-care 鈥 more sleep, meditation and breathing exercises. 鈥淚t鈥檚 probably a good year to focus on mental health,鈥 he said.
Many others agree. About 3 in 10 adults choose resolutions involving exercise or eating healthier. About one-quarter said they'll make a resolution involving losing weight and a similar number said they'll resolve to make changes about priorities of money or mental health.
Woods' resolutions are to stay social and active. As a mental health counselor, she knows those are key to a happy 2025 and beyond: 鈥淧robably one of my biggest resolutions is trying to make sure I stay social, try to get out at least once a week 鈥 get out and either have coffee or do something with a friend. That鈥檚 not only for the physical but also for the mental health part.鈥
Kershaw, the bartender, says weight loss and better health are the top resolutions she hears people make. 鈥淢ental health is the new one, but I think it鈥檚 high up there as well as with regular health,鈥 she said.
She prefers more goal-oriented resolutions and, this time, it's to do more traveling and see more of the world: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if that鈥檚 really a resolution, but that鈥檚 a goal that I鈥檓 setting.鈥
And how will she welcome the arrival of 2025? Usually, she takes the night off and stays home watching movies with plenty of snacks, but this year Kershaw has a different plan, maybe one of the most Chicago things you can do.
This die-hard sports fan will be on Tuesday watching the Chicago Blackhawks take on the St. Louis Blues. 鈥淗ockey鈥檚 my favorite sport. So I will be watching hockey and bringing in the new year,鈥 she said.
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The AP-NORC poll of 1,251 adults was conducted Dec. 5-9, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC鈥檚 probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
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Sanders reported from Washington.
