New Year's Survey for 2026: Less Confidence, Fewer Resolutions

The outlook of Austrians for the coming year remains rather bleak. Persistent inflation, rising prices, the Ukraine war, and the Middle East conflict weigh on the mood, according to the 54th New Year's survey by IMAS, which was published on Sunday.

Among those looking forward positively, it is primarily their personally good life situation that allows them to look ahead with optimism (42 percent). Ten percent were cautiously optimistic, believing it could only get better. Pessimists, on the other hand, are influenced by external factors. The impression of inflation (39 percent each among the concerned and skeptics) and the negative political mood (concerned: 21 percent, skeptics: 18 percent) affected their own mood.

The review of the past year is similar to that of 2024. Almost every second person described the year 2025 as at least a "pretty good year." Before Corona, in 2019, 69 percent still thought the year coming to an end was good. With the outbreak of the pandemic, the value dropped to 22 percent in 2020, but has been recovering year by year since then.

New Year's Survey: Only a Third of Austrians Have Good Resolutions

Of course, the New Year's survey also asked about good resolutions, but only a third of respondents had made any at all. A healthier lifestyle remains at the top, although such plans were mentioned less frequently. In 2024, 46 percent had planned to exercise more, while this year it was 42 percent. 35 percent said they wanted to take better care of themselves, compared to 41 percent in 2024. And 34 percent intend to eat healthier (2024: 41 percent).

31 percent want to spend more time with family and friends. At the bottom of the list - as it has been consistently since 2017 - is the resolution to engage politically, with eight percent setting this as a goal. On average, Austrians make about four New Year's resolutions.

More on the topic of New Year's Eve

(APA/Red)

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