VANCOUVER -- As the year of the pandemic begins to wind down, more than three quarters of Canadians surveyed say they plan to make a New Year’s resolution for 2021.

The online survey of 1,510 Canadians, conducted by debt relief specialists Bromwich+Smith, found that of those surveyed, 78 per cent plan to make a New Year’s resolution compared with the 53 per cent who made one last year.

The survey also asked what lessons from 2020 Canadians would apply to 2021. The top responses were:

  • Support small and local businesses – 60 per cent
  • Appreciate the “little things in life” such as nature, art, beauty – 59 per cent
  • Live more frugally and spend less on non-essentials – 47 per cent
  • “Be kinder to myself and others” – 41 per cent
  • Travel local and “explore my own ‘backyard’” – 35 per cent

The Good Riddance 2020 Survey also asked those surveyed for the top three things they would do after life starts to get back to normal.

More than half (53 per cent) chose booking a vacation as their first priority, followed by hosting or attending a family reunion (46 per cent), then visiting grandparents or a high-risk loved on (38 per cent).

The online survey was conducted between Dec. 9 and 10 among a representative sample of Canadians who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The sample plan carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.