This is part 3 in the CBS News poll series "What's Good?"

Throughout the year, Americans have described for us the problems they see, and there is indeed a lot of tough news out there. But with the holiday season upon us, we thought we'd also give them a chance to say what's good and what they see for the year ahead.

  • CBS News poll: Connections and conversations — and why they matter
  • CBS News poll: Where Americans find happiness

Hopefulness and 2024

Americans feel about twice as hopeful as discouraged when they think about 2024. But it's young people in particular who are the most hopeful, with two-thirds feeling this way. 

A time for resolutions — for you and the nation

Just over a third of us are making New Year's resolutions. 

The young are by far the most likely to be making resolutions for 2024, as opposed to older Americans. (Perhaps older Americans feel more complete, or set in their ways, or maybe age has brought the wisdom that a lot of us just don't keep them anyway.)

Weight loss, health and diet lead the list of Americans' resolution topics when they make one. 

Notably — and seemingly related — half say they'll spend less time online. 

People who voice overall goals of improving their health generally and exercising more are more likely to also say they'll spend less time online.

Those who already attend religious services at least weekly are overwhelmingly likely to say their resolution is to pray and attend services more.

It's the youngest adults who most resolve to learn a new skill or hobby, far outpacing the older Americans who say they will.

We wondered what resolutions they'd want the nation to make, collectively. 

Overwhelmingly, they'd have Americans also improve their health — just as people resolve personally. 

There is an overall emphasis on relaxation: they'd urge people to take more time off, while fewer say work harder. They'd urge others to spend less time online (at even higher rates than they're resolving to themselves) more than getting more online connections — all well-meaning, but perhaps easier to say than do. 

This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,182 U.S. adult residents interviewed between December 4-7, 2023. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as past vote. The margin of error is ±2.8 points.

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Anthony Salvanto

Anthony Salvanto, Ph.D., is CBS News' director of elections and surveys. He oversees all polling across the nation, states and congressional races, and heads the CBS News Decision Desk that estimates outcomes on election nights. He is the author of "Where Did You Get This Number: A Pollster's Guide to Making Sense of the World," from Simon & Schuster (a division of Paramount Global), and appears regularly across all CBS News platforms. His scholarly research and writings cover topics on polling methodology, voting behavior, and sampling techniques.

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