Wiingy Research · 2026

The New Year's Lie

We Tracked 55 Resolutions for 3 Years.

Here's exactly when Americans give up - from guitar dreams to gym memberships, Ivy League ambitions to Dry January. The data doesn't care about your good intentions.

Resolutions Tracked

Years of Real Data

94%

Dry January Gone by Feb 1

18.3%

Gym resolutions that actually fade

Scroll to explore

Why We Made This Study

Every year the same thing happens. January feels different. This time it really will be the year. The gym fills up. Guitar tutorials trend. People announce Dry January on social media. And then February comes.

We looked at three years of real search data to find out exactly when the wheels fall off. Not survey data where we asked people what they planned to do. Real behavior: what people typed into Google, and when they stopped.

The central idea is simple. If 100 people searched for something in January and only 63 were still searching in February, 37 people gave up. That's a 37% collapse. The higher the number, the faster people abandoned their resolution.

January is the month Americans dream. February is the month the truth comes out.

94.4%

Highest collapse found
Dry January - every year

18.3%

Most resilient resolution
Gym Near Me - like clockwork

18:1

Biggest fantasy gap
Online money vs resume writers

5 Findings That Will Change How You Think About New Year's Resolutions

These aren't just numbers. Each one flips a common assumption about how resolution behavior actually works.

🍺

94%

Dry January: 125,000 Pledges. 94% Gone the Moment February Arrives.

Dry January is where people skip alcohol for the entire month of January. It generates over 125,000 searches in January — then 94% of that vanishes overnight on February 1st, every single year. Compare that to people who search "alcohol free" year-round: they only drop 27.9% in February. Dry January creates intense but temporary commitment. Lasting change needs more than a calendar event.

🏋️

18.3%

Only 18.3% of People Drop Their Gym Resolution by February

You've heard the jokes about empty gyms in February. The data says the opposite. 82 out of 100 gym searchers are still searching in February. The same 18.3% dropout, every year, like clockwork.

🎸

8:1

Eight Times More People Book Guitar Lessons Than Just Dream About Learning

56,833 searches for "guitar lessons near me" versus 7,200 for "learn guitar." And lesson-bookers only dropped 23% in February vs 37% for casual dreamers. Action predicts persistence.

📚

+49%

While Gym Goals Fade, SAT and ACT Prep Searches Surge 49% in February

The only resolutions that get stronger in February. Not motivation — deadlines. As March exams approach, urgency kicks in. SAT and ACT prep are the only two topics in our entire dataset that grow after January.

👨‍👩‍👧

32:1

Parents Search for Tutors 32 Times More Than Students Search to Improve Their GPA

Students search "how to improve my GPA" 1,400 times. Parents search "tutoring near me" 44,700 times in the same month. And parents follow through: only 12% drop off by February, versus 34% of students. Parents give up last. Every single time.

Every Resolution, Ranked by How Fast It Dies

From the one that collapses in hours to the one that actually grows stronger - here is the full picture.

Top 20 Resolutions: How Many People Gave Up by February

Average collapse % across all 3 years tracked · Dry January (94.4%) shown separately due to scale

Figure 1: Instruments and grad school prep lead the collapse chart. Green bars = terms that grow in February (SAT, ACT, resume tips).

Source: Wiingy

Rank	Resolution	Category	Jan Searches	Gave Up by Feb	Verdict
1	Dry January (no alcohol for month)	Quitting	124,667	94.4%	💀 Almost everyone quit
2	Learn ukulele	Instruments	2,193	40.4%	⚠️ 1 in 3 gave up
3	Learn piano	Instruments	9,833	38.4%	⚠️ 1 in 3 gave up
4	Learn guitar	Instruments	7,200	37.4%	⚠️ 1 in 3 gave up
5	GRE prep (grad school)	Academics	6,700	37.4%	⚠️ 1 in 3 gave up
6	Healthy meal prep	Health	22,467	37.3%	⚠️ 1 in 3 gave up
7	Reduce screen time	Quitting	1,500	35.8%	⚠️ 1 in 3 gave up
8	Improve GPA	Academics	1,400	34%	⚠️ 1 in 3 gave up
9	Budgeting for beginners	Money	6,700	33.3%	⚠️ 1 in 3 gave up
10	LSAT prep (law school)	Academics	13,167	33.2%	⚠️ 1 in 3 gave up
11	Side hustle ideas	Money	16,667	30.7%	⚠️ 1 in 3 gave up
12	Get into Stanford	Academics	1,700	29.3%	🟡 Mild drop
13	GMAT prep (MBA)	Academics	2,800	28.5%	🟡 Mild drop
14	Intermittent fasting	Health	447,333	28.2%	🟡 Mild drop
15	Start investing	Money	10,767	28.2%	🟡 Mild drop
16	Get fit	Health	1,400	28.1%	🟡 Mild drop
17	Quit vaping	Quitting	8,200	23.3%	🟡 Mild drop
18	Eat healthy	Health	8,400	23.3%	🟡 Mild drop
19	Guitar lessons near me	Instruments	56,833	23.2%	🟡 Mild drop
20	Get into Ivy League	Academics	487	23.5%	🟡 Mild drop
21	Get into Harvard	Academics	3,867	19%	🟡 Mild drop
22	Learn drums	Instruments	450	18.4%	🟡 Mild drop
23	Gym near me	Health	2,240,000	18.3%	🟡 Mild drop
24	Save money	Money	27,467	18.2%	🟡 Mild drop
25	How to lose weight	Health	91,500	12.1%	✅ Holds well
26	Tutoring near me	Academics	44,700	12.1%	✅ Holds well
27	Stop smoking	Quitting	13,000	6.1%	✅ Holds well
28	Stop procrastinating	Quitting	10,633	6.1%	✅ Holds well
29	Nicotine patch	Quitting	69,500	0%	✅ Holds well
30	Resume tips	Money	6,100	Grows 7.4%	🌱 Actually grows
31	ACT prep	Academics	18,000	Grows 7.4%	🌱 Actually grows
32	SAT prep	Academics	18,367	Grows 16.4%	🌱 Actually grows

Source: Wiingy

Negative % = February was bigger than January (these resolutions actually grow). Average across all 3 cycles.

Gym, Diet, Money: The Resolutions Everyone Makes (and When They Break)

The two biggest resolution categories tell completely different stories. Health holds up better than you'd expect. Money is where the fantasy gap is widest.

Health Resolutions: How Many People Gave Up by February?

Average collapse % Jan to Feb · 3-year average · Sorted fastest to slowest · United States

Figure 2: Healthy meal prep has the worst collapse (37.3%) even though it is the most committed action. Gym near me drops by only 18.3% - the most resilient health resolution. The easier the commitment sounds, the faster it tends to collapse.

Source: Wiingy

18.3%

Gym dropout
Same all 3 years

28.2%

Intermittent fasting
Big spike, then fades

37.3%

Healthy meal prep
Hardest health collapse

17.0%

Yoga for beginners
Surprisingly resilient

People who searched "how to lose weight" (vague wish) held up better than people searching "healthy meal prep" (concrete plan). Making a plan doesn't mean you'll stick to it - especially without support.

Money: The Side Hustle Dream Is Disappearing

Money Resolutions: Which Ones Hold and Which Ones Fade

Average collapse % · 3-year average · United States

Figure 3: Resume tips actually grows in February - people searching it mean business. Side hustle ideas had a 55% collapse in 2024-25 and its January volume fell 70% over two years.

Source: Wiingy

Dry January: The Most Dramatic Resolution Spike in America — and the Most Fleeting

Dry January is the annual challenge where people skip all alcohol for the month of January. 125,000+ Americans search for it every January. The moment February 1 arrives, 94% of that search volume is gone overnight. Compare that to people who search "alcohol free" year-round: they drop only 27.9% in February. Dry January creates a surge. Lasting sobriety requires structure and accountability — not just a calendar date.

94.4%

Dry January — No Alcohol in January

125,000+ January searches
94% gone by February 1 — every year
+950% pre-signal in December

0.0%

Nicotine Patch

60,500–90,500 Jan searches
Zero collapse recorded — any year
Addiction beats motivation

The people searching for nicotine patches are not making a resolution. They are managing a real addiction. That kind of motivation doesn't disappear on February 1.

Quitting Habits: How Many People Were Gone by February

3-year average collapse %

Figure 4: Stop smoking barely drops (6.1%) because people search it year-round — it's not a seasonal resolution. Dry January is a calendar event with a hard end date.

Source: Wiingy

94.4%

Dry January collapse Every year, same number

35.8%

Screen time reduction Moderate, getting worse

6.1%

Stop smoking Year-round, not seasonal

Guitar, Piano, Drums: Which Instrument Dream Dies First?

Learning a musical instrument is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions of all time. We tracked 8 instruments to find out which dream collapses fastest — and the results are not what you'd expect.

🪕

Ukulele

2,193 Jan searches

40.4% gave up

🎹

Piano

9,833 Jan searches

38.4% gave up

🎸

Guitar

7,200 Jan searches

37.4% gave up

🎵

Bass Guitar

1,600 Jan searches

27.5% gave up

🥁

Drums

450 Jan searches

18.4% gave up

🎻

Violin

773 Jan searches

18.1% gave up

🎶

Flute

223 Jan searches

14.8% gave up

🎷

Saxophone

323 Jan searches

12.4% gave up

Which Instrument Resolution Collapses Fastest?

Average % who gave up by February · 3-year average · United States

Figure 5: Ukulele (40.4%) and Piano (38.4%) collapse fastest on average. Saxophone (12.4%) and Flute (14.8%) have the most committed learners. The harder the instrument, the more serious the student.

Source: Wiingy

Booking a Lesson Beats Just Googling. Every Time.

There are 8 people searching for actual guitar lessons for every 1 person just Googling "learn guitar." And the lesson-bookers quit 14 percentage points less in February.

The Dream	Jan Searches	The Action	Jan Searches	Ratio	Who Quits Less
Learn guitar	7,200	Guitar lessons near me	56,833	1 : 8	Action by 14pp
Learn piano	9,833	Piano lessons near me	85,000	1 : 9	Action by 15pp

Harvard Dreams, SAT Prep, and Why Parents Never Give Up

The academic category has the most surprising finding in the whole study. Two topics actually get more popular in February. Everything else fades. These two grow.

Academic Resolutions: Grew or Collapsed? (3-Year Average)

Positive % = February was bigger than January (deadline-driven) · Negative % = people gave up

Figure 6: SAT prep (+16.4%) and ACT prep (+7.4%) are the only academic terms that grow in February. Urgency from approaching exam dates drives this. GRE prep has the worst collapse at 37.4% — the opposite pattern.

Source: Wiingy

37.4%

GRE prep collapse
Fastest academic quitter

19.0%

How to get into Harvard
Stable, serious searchers

+49%

SAT prep Feb growth
Deadlines beat motivation

12.1%

Tutoring near me
Parents are persistent

The Ivy League dream is shrinking but becoming more serious. Searches fell from 590 to 390 in two years, but the dropout rate improved from 33.9% to 17.9%. Fewer people are making the resolution. Those who do mean it more.

Academic Resolution	What It Is	Jan Searches	Gave Up by Feb	Verdict
GRE prep	Grad school exam	6,700	37.4%	Fast collapse
Improve GPA	Grade improvement	1,400	34%	Dream, not action
LSAT prep	Law school exam	13,167	33.2%	Moderate
Get into Stanford	Ivy League ambition	1,700	29.3%	Worsening yearly
Get into Harvard	Ivy League ambition	3,867	19%	Serious searchers
Tutoring near me	Parents booking tutors	44,700	12.1%	Parents hold strong
ACT prep	College entrance exam	18,000	Grows +7.4%	Grows in Feb
SAT prep	College entrance exam	18,367	Grows +16.4%	Strongest in study

The Fantasy vs Reality Gap:
Are You a Doer or a Dreamer?

Every resolution has two versions - the vague wish and the actual action. The gap between them shows who means it and who's just thinking about it.

The Dream

Learn guitar

7,200 Jan searches · 37.4% gave up

1:8

Ratio

The Action

Guitar lessons near me

56,833 Jan searches · 23.2% gave up

The Dream

Learn piano

9,833 Jan searches · 38.4% gave up

1:9

Ratio

The Action

Piano lessons near me

85,000 Jan searches · 23.2% gave up

The Dream

Make money online

110,167 Jan searches · 23.2% gave up

18:1

Ratio

The Action

Resume tips

6,100 Jan searches · grows in Feb

The Dream

Intermittent fasting

447,333 Jan searches · 28.2% gave up

20:1

Ratio

The Action

Healthy meal prep

22,467 Jan searches · 37.3% gave up

The Dream

Start investing

10,767 Jan searches · 28.2% gave up

4.8:1

Ratio

The Action

Budgeting for beginners

2,233 Jan searches · 21.6% gave up

The Dream

Improve GPA

1,400 Jan searches · 34% gave up

1:32

Ratio

The Action

Tutoring near me

44,700 Jan searches · 12.1% gave up

Dreamers vs Doers: Who Still Cared in February?

Collapse % for each pair · Lower bar = more people still searching in February · Data: 3-year average

Figure 7: Blue bars = people who searched the dream/aspirational term (e.g. "learn guitar"). Green bars = people who took action (e.g. "guitar lessons near me"). In every music pair, action-takers quit less. For money, both groups fade — but resume tip searchers actually grew in February.

Source: Wiingy

8:1

Action beats fantasy
Guitar: bookers vs browsers

18:1

Fantasy crushes action
Online money vs resume tips

32:1

Parents outact students
Tutors vs GPA wishes

Is It Getting Better or Worse?
Three Years of the Same Cycle

Some resolutions are growing in popularity. Others are quietly disappearing. Here is how the numbers moved from 2023 to 2026.

How Has Each Resolution's Popularity Changed? (2023 vs 2026)

% change in January search volume from 2023-24 to 2025-26 cycle · Green = growing · Red = declining

Figure 8: ACT prep surged 124% in two years — exam pressure is intensifying. Side hustle ideas fell 70% and Dry January fell 55%. Gym Near Me held perfectly flat. Gym is not a trend. It is a constant.

Source: Wiingy

10 Most Interesting Year-Over-Year Stories

Declined 55%

Dry January lost half its audience in two years

165,000 Jan searches in 2023 to 74,000 in 2026

Fewer people are even trying the no-alcohol challenge - but the 94% end-of-month collapse stayed exactly the same. Dry January creates a surge. It does not create lasting habits.

Tripled

Piano collapse tripled from 2023 to 2024

18.5% to 63.5% to 33.3% collapse

TikTok piano tutorials create the impression anyone can learn in a week. When reality hits, people exit faster than ever.

Only one

SAT prep is the only resolution that gets stronger in February

+49% growth from Jan to Feb in 2025-26

Exam deadlines do what motivation cannot. As March tests approach, urgency spikes. Every other resolution fades.

Bulletproof

Gym Near Me: 2.24 million searches, three years in a row

Exactly 18.3% collapse every year

The most consistent data point in the entire study. The gym is not a resolution. It is infrastructure.

Declined 70%

The side hustle dream is evaporating

27,100 to 14,800 to 8,100 January searches

A 70% volume drop in two years, plus a 55% collapse in 2024-25. The side hustle era is contracting rapidly.

One-year fad

Ukulele was 2025 biggest instrument failure

80% collapse in 2024-25, worst single cycle in the study

4,400 January searches and 80% gone by February. The year before and after were totally normal. A pure fad cycle.

Stays strong

Nicotine patch never collapses - across all three years

60,500 to 90,500 Jan searches, zero February drop

Managing an addiction creates more durable motivation than any resolution. Urgency beats aspiration every time.

Surging +124%

ACT prep surged 124% in two years

12,100 to 27,100 January searches

College application pressure is clearly intensifying. More students are prepping earlier, and they do not give up.

Separating

Guitar dreamers fade. Lesson-bookers hold steady.

"Learn guitar" fell from 8,100 to 5,400. Lessons near me: stable at 50-60K.

The casual wishers are making the resolution less. The people who mean it are still booking lessons.

More serious

Ivy League searches decline but quality improves

590 to 390 Jan searches, dropout 33.9% to 17.9%

Fewer people are dreaming of the Ivy League. Those who are, are way more serious about it.

How We Collected This Data

Real search data, not surveys. Here is exactly how we measured when Americans give up.

What We Looked At

55 resolution topics across five categories: health and fitness, quitting habits, money and career, musical instruments, and academic goals. Three full cycles of data covering October through February for 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26.

How We Measured "Giving Up"

We compared January search volumes against February. The Collapse Percentage is simply how many January searchers were gone by February.

Collapse % = (January searches − February searches) ÷ January searches × 100

A negative result means February was bigger than January — the resolution actually strengthened.

Important Notes

Four original topics returned no data (Google restricts addiction-related searches from its ad tools). We replaced them with similar terms: stop smoking, quit vaping, and nicotine patch. Where January searches were below the October-November baseline — meaning no real resolution spike happened — those data points are noted but not used in headline rankings.

Who Made This Report

The Wiingy Research Team works on data studies that reveal real patterns in how Americans learn, grow, and yes, give up on their goals.

Shifa

Lead Researcher

Shifa leads the Wiingy Research Team, overseeing study design, research scope, and final editorial review. Her work uncovers emerging trends at the intersection of education, culture, and consumer behavior - driving data-backed decisions that shape Wiingy's future.

Bhavya

Research Analyst

Bhavya contributes analytical depth and curiosity to every project. Her expertise in data analysis and research methodology ensures the team's studies are rigorous, transparent, and impactful - staying ahead of industry trends so Wiingy remains a leader in the education space.

About Wiingy

Wiingy is a top-rated tutoring marketplace connecting students with over 4,500 expert-vetted tutors for 350+ subjects - from coding and math to guitar, piano, and SAT prep. World-class education should be accessible to everyone. Every tutor is fully vetted and a free trial lesson is available within 24 hours of booking.

This report's findings connect directly to what Wiingy does. People who search for actual lessons - guitar lessons near me, piano lessons near me, tutoring near me - are far more persistent in February than people who only search aspirationally. A tutor isn't just an instructor. A tutor is what turns a resolution into a result.

Subjects Available on Wiingy

Guitar — Acoustic, electric, bass; beginner through advanced
Piano — Classical, jazz, contemporary; all ages and levels
Singing — Pop, classical, musical theatre
Violin — Classical, fiddle, Suzuki method
SAT and ACT Prep — Foundational to advanced test strategy
Mathematics — All levels, middle school through university

4,500+ vetted tutors · 350+ subjects · Starting at $28/hr · Free first lesson

Start Learning at Wiingy →

Contact

Website

wiingy.com

Research

wiingy.com/research

research@wiingy.com

Phone

+1 618-448-5208

Address

8 The Green, Dover,
Delaware, US 19901

→ All Wiingy Research Reports

The New Year's Lie

Why We Made This Study

5 Findings That Will Change How You Think About New Year's Resolutions

Every Resolution, Ranked by How Fast It Dies

Gym, Diet, Money: The Resolutions Everyone Makes (and When They Break)

Money: The Side Hustle Dream Is Disappearing

Dry January: The Most Dramatic Resolution Spike in America — and the Most Fleeting

Guitar, Piano, Drums: Which Instrument Dream Dies First?

Booking a Lesson Beats Just Googling. Every Time.

Harvard Dreams, SAT Prep, and Why Parents Never Give Up

The Fantasy vs Reality Gap:Are You a Doer or a Dreamer?

Is It Getting Better or Worse?Three Years of the Same Cycle

10 Most Interesting Year-Over-Year Stories

How We Collected This Data

What We Looked At

How We Measured "Giving Up"

Important Notes

Who Made This Report

About Wiingy

Subjects Available on Wiingy

Contact

The Fantasy vs Reality Gap:
Are You a Doer or a Dreamer?

Is It Getting Better or Worse?
Three Years of the Same Cycle