Behind the scenes

Switzerland likes a challenge, Germany not so much

27.12.2023

A representative study commissioned by Galaxus examined how often men and women in different countries make resolutions. In Switzerland, almost two thirds of the population take on challenges. In Germany, not even a third do. The countries are clearly more similar in terms of topics: over 50 per cent of the challengers have nutrition-based goals, followed closely by finance (47%).

Soon, it’ll be that time again for New Year’s resolutions. Going to bed earlier, eating more healthily or doing more sport are among the classics. Digitec Galaxus wanted to find out how many people take on such challenges and which challenge categories are particularly popular. And how differently do people challenge themselves from country to country?

As part of a representative Link study, 2,521 people from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy and France gave their answers.

Who likes a challenge? From the eager individuals to the procrastinators

More than two thirds of all respondents have made resolutions in the past: just under half (47%) are currently working on a challenge or regularly do so. 29 per cent have taken on challenges in the past. Eight per cent have never made resolutions but plan to change this. And 16 per cent of survey participants have no desire to do so.

Switzerland leads the country rankings ahead of Italy and Austria: 59.1 per cent of Swiss people are currently working on a challenge or regularly do so. Germany, on the other hand, is less interested and brings up the rear with 32.5%.

In France and Italy, women and men are in a similar position. In the DACH region, men are slightly ahead: they set resolutions slightly more often than the female respondents.

Young people are (almost always) the most motivated for a challenge

The younger the person, the more popular resolutions are. Among 15 to 29 year-old Swiss men and women, 71 per cent like to set themselves a challenge. This is a European record. Only six per cent in this age category say that they’re not interested in challenges.

The exception is Bella Italia: Italians aged between 30 and 44 are more motivated than average to make new resolutions. The southerners are even ahead of Switzerland in this category.

In Germany and Austria, the 45 to 59 year-old age group is the most challenge-averse. In the other countries surveyed, it’s the 60 to 79 year-olds.

Challenges: a gut feeling

Across all countries, nutrition is the most common motivation for a resolution in 2023. Over 50% of respondents are currently taking on a challenge in this area, followed by finance (47%), household (41%) and sport (37%).

Surprisingly, in the digital age, digital detox and the like aren’t a priority for respondents and are at the bottom of the ranking across all countries, with just under 18 per cent. In all of the countries surveyed, the least common resolution category is digital.

The Swiss take on an above-average number of sports challenges (45%). But even here in Switzerland, nutrition is at the top of the rankings with 50 per cent. Finance follows in 3rd place in the country of bankers. However, of all the countries surveyed, Switzerland has the lowest figure for finance at 40 per cent.

For neighbouring countries, such as Austria, this has greater importance. Here, finances (56%) and nutrition (53%) are the main concerns of the challengers. Apart from sport, the other topics are less important. Even for challenge-averse Germans, finances are also a top priority

Most resolutions in Italy fall under the household category. The third most common category for the Italians is bad habits (51%) which is significantly higher than in the other countries.

Do you have New Year’s resolutions? Or are you not a fan of challenges? Let us know in the comments.

The market research institute Link conducts representative surveys for Digitec Galaxus. People from the DACH region, Italy and France took part in the survey.

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