By admin 
NEW YORK — If you’re planning to ring in the new year quietly at home, you’re not alone.
A majority of American adults plan to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
“As I’ve gotten older over the years, it’s like if I don’t make it to midnight, it’s no big deal, you know?” said Carla Woods, 70, of Vinton, Iowa.
Nearly 2 in 10 will celebrate at a friend or family member’s home, and only 5 percent plan to go out to celebrate at a bar, restaurant or organized event, the poll found.
But many American adults will celebrate the new year in a different way: by making a resolution. More than half say they will make at least one resolution before 2025.
There is some optimism about the year ahead, although more than half do not expect any positive change. About 4 in 10 say 2025 will be a better year for them personally. About a third don’t expect much difference between 2024 and 2025, and about a quarter think 2025 will be a worse year than 2024.
Costs are a barrier
Kourtney Kershaw, a 32-year-old bartender in Chicago, often answers questions from customers and friends about upcoming New Year’s Eve events. She said this year the trend is going low-key.
“The majority of my peers I’ve spoken to want to go out, but don’t know what to do, either because they haven’t found anything or because things are just very expensive,” she says. said. “Party packages or an entrance fee are a turnoff, especially considering the climate of the world and how much things cost.”
As expected, younger people are more interested in ringing in the New Year at a bar or an organized event; about 1 in 10 American adults under 30 say they plan to do so. But about 3 in 10 seniors – aged 60 and over – say they won’t celebrate the start of 2025 at all.
Anthony Tremblay, 35, from Pittsburgh doesn’t normally go out to toast the arrival of the New Year, but this time he has something special in store: he and his wife will travel through Ireland.
“Normally I don’t do anything crazy on New Year’s Eve. So this is definitely a change,” he says. “I wanted to do something unique this year, so that’s what I did.”
Woods will work New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. She answers calls on the Iowa Warmline, a confidential, non-crisis listening line for people struggling with mental health or substance use issues.
“Holidays are very hard for people, so I don’t mind working,” she said. “I’m passionate about it because I have mental health problems in my family, so it’s rewarding for me to be able to help people.”
Health-related goals
Every New Year’s Day also provokes the eternal debate about good intentions. A majority of American adults say they plan to make some kind of New Year’s resolution, but Millennials and Generation Z are especially likely to be on board; about two-thirds expect to do so, compared with 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 – more sleep, meditation and breathing exercises. “It’s probably a good year to focus on mental health,” he said.
Many others agree. About 3 in 10 adults choose New Year’s resolutions such as exercise or healthier eating.