To distract you from the day-seven misery of salad for every meal in the depths of winter, here’s what others in Germany have set as a goal for themselves this New Year. Beef cutlets and chilling too little is very 2023.

DAK Gesundheit reveals Germans’ resolutions for 2024

DAK Gesundheit, a statutory health insurance provider in Germany, has revealed the most popular resolutions (Vorsätze) that people in the federal republic have set for themselves in the New Year.

First and foremost, people in Germany want to make time for their loved ones in the New Year, with 65 percent of the 1.006 respondents in the representative survey saying that “Make more time for family and friends” was one of their Vorsätze. Another self-care rather than self-flagellating resolution was the second-most popular among respondents, with 62 percent saying that they wanted to “avoid or relieve stress”. 49 percent said that they intended to make more time for themselves.

Spare these inspirational resolutions to slow down and appreciate our loved ones, people in Germany are desperate to rid themselves of all the bad habits that make life so much fun in an instant. Looking to care for their future selves; Germans want to eat healthier, do more sport, save money, lose weight, drink less, watch less telly and give up smoking. Surely even the strongest of us looking to take on more than three of those vast habit changes are destined to crumble by January 10.

People in Germany want to eat less meat in 2024

With the body of a creaky temple now poised for a refurbishment like no other, people in Germany are also keen to look out for the wellbeing of their other home, Earth.

51 percent of respondents said that they would like to adopt more climate-friendly behaviours in 2024 and 31 percent said that they plan to eat less meat. Both of these things were already a concern for the German public back in 2022, during which it was revealed that the climate crisis was spurring the population’s new travel habits and that meat consumption dropped drastically. 

The figures aren’t yet in for 2023, but in 2022 people in Germany ate an average of 52 kilograms of meat over the year, 4,2 kilograms less than in the previous year, according to the Federal Information Centre for Agriculture (BZL). Such decreasing figures have now been a trend for several years.

Another, less traditional addition to the list of best behaviours was “use the internet, computer and smartphones less”. According to a study by Postbank, people in Germany spend an average of 20,2 hours per week looking at their mobile phones. Children in Germany spend an average of 63,7 hours per week on the internet.

Lucky for those that have this resolution on their list, the European Commission announced in 2023 that MEPs had voted in favour of a proposal to ban the addictive design features used in online games, social media, streaming services and online marketplaces. Such regulation should give people a helping hand when looking to crack their smartphone addiction.

If you're still mulling over your New Year's resolution for 2024, our advice is to keep them simple and rewarding. Why not go to the cinema once a month or try 12 new foods in 2024? Let us know your Vortsatz in the comments below!

Thumb image credit: Andrii Spy_k / Shutterstock.com