New Year’s Facts – Traditions, Spending & More
2:47 AMPosted by: John S Kiernan
Countries all around the world have their own unique New Year’s traditions. Many places feature customary cuisine, such as lentils (Brazil and Italy), suckling pig (Austria) and grapes (Spain). Others get a bit more creative. The Danish, for example, smash broken china on friends’ front doors, supposedly in a sign of affection. But you obviously don’t need to go global to learn a lot about New Year’s.
We have plenty of customs right here at home, from watching a giant crystal-covered ball drop in Time’s Square and drinking sparkling spirits at midnight to eating black-eyed peas and making resolutions on Jan. 1. But there’s still a lot to learn about even the most famous New Year’s traditions. For instance, did you know that the Time’s Square ball weighs nearly six tons, or that 360 million glasses of sparkling wine are consumed in the U.S. each New Year’s Eve? The fact that New Year’s Eve is the busiest night of the year for celebratory gunfire may come as a surprise, too.
With that in mind, WalletHub went hunting for the most interesting factoids about America’s fourth-favorite holiday, New Year’s Eve/Day, to help people better understand and enjoy the occasion. You can check out our findings on everything from eating, drinking and spending habits to travel plans, midnight prayers, DUIs and hangovers in the infographic below. Make sure to also read the Ask the Experts Q&A that follows to see what our panel thinks about different aspects the big day.
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To gain a deeper understanding of everything that makes New Year’s so special (plus potential pitfalls to watch out for), we posed the following questions to a panel of experts specializing in retail, hospitality, public safety and terrorism. You can check out their bios and responses below.
- What tips and tricks do you have for people trying to make a new year’s resolution they can actually keep?
- How can local authorities promote safety and reduce alcohol related accidents on New Year’s Eve?
- Do you find any of the attached statistics surprising? Why?
Alexis McCrossen Professor of US Social and Cultural History at Southern Methodist University
Zachery Williams Associate Professor of History at University of Akron
Jeffrey P. Toth Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at University of North Carolina Wilmington
Cynthia J. Pietras Associate Professor and Chair of Behavior Analysis Program at Western Michigan University
What tips and tricks do you have for people trying to make a new year’s resolution they can actually keep? I wish I had a surefire suggestion for making and keeping New Year’s resolutions! I’d be rich if I did. It strikes me that we’d be far more likely to keep our resolutions if they involved helping other people rather than helping/improving ourselves. We are more likely to keep commitments to other people than to ourselves. You might resolve to call or visit friends and family with whom you’ve fallen out of touch. Or once a month to take meals to the shut-in. Or to take a walk once a week with a family member. Or to give time or money each month to an organization whose cause you support. In terms of self-improvement, we are most likely to keep resolutions that are bounded and action-oriented, so perhaps “I resolve to eat three servings of vegetables a day for the first three weeks of the New Year.” Or “I resolve to chew gum instead of smoke cigarettes for the first three weeks of the New Year.” Or “I resolve to go to early morning exercise classes for the first three weeks of the New Year.” I suggest three weeks because many studies have shown that it takes about three weeks to adjust to new routines and habits. It may also be that the best resolutions are to seek help for seemingly intransigent problems, for instance, “I resolve to see a physician about how to lose weight,” or “I resolve to see a financial counselor about how to reduce my debt.” Or “I resolve to see a family therapist to address how much my spouse and I fight." How can local authorities promote safety and reduce alcohol related accidents on New Year’s Eve? Let me open by saying that I think it is often the case that excessive and reckless behavior arises out of stress: holidays have traditionally been times when communities release the stresses that have accumulated over the course of everyday life. So at New Year’s a great deal of the drinking arises out of the attempt to release the stress of the holiday season in general, the stresses and disappointments of the previous year, and the stresses associated with the uncertainty of the coming year. I think Americans are more stressed now than they ever have been, and thus I expect that no amount of public policy meant to curb alcohol, drug, and gun related accidents will be particularly effective. If Americans were to slow down a bit, so as to make their peace with the past year and to accept the many things they cannot control in the coming year, they might drink less excessively, and they might, when uninhibited, be less aggressive, confrontational and reckless. This is definitely speculative on my part, but I do think it is a fact that the New Year, with its emphasis on the past and future, heightens various conflicting emotions. With that being said, I think that local authorities can promote safety and reduce alcohol related accidents on New Year’s Eve through several different measures. First, we need more extensive public safety campaigns. These campaigns seem to come and go. It is especially important that our major media outlets get on board with promoting the safety and welfare of the nation. Second, we as a nation need more wholesome, family oriented public celebrations, like the “First Night” events in Boston. Perhaps smaller scale events in neighborhoods too. Third, it might be worthwhile to consider prohibiting the sale of package liquor after 5 at night. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to slap a heavy New Year’s Eve tax on the sale of alcohol in clubs, bars and restaurants. Finally, extensive ride share opportunities should be accessible and easy. Do you find any of the attached statistics surprising? Why? The various numbers you’ve compiled are fantastic and revealing; thanks for sharing them with me. New Year’s Prayers: The tradition of giving thanks to God for the blessings and mercies of the previous year, and of praying for continued mercy in the new year, extends back to ancient times. Thus, it is not at all surprising that 61% of Americans report praying on New Year’s Eve. Many of our religious convictions and traditions are associated with marking the passage of time: for instance, the sacraments in the Catholic Church are associated with moments in the life cycle. So prayers at the New Year acknowledge the religious aspects of time’s passage, particularly when it comes to the end of one year and the start of another year. Not celebrating New Year’s: I am not surprised that nearly a quarter of Americans aren’t planning to celebrate the end of 2016 and the start of 2017, or that nearly a third fall asleep before midnight. While Americans used to feel that the arrival of the New Year was auspicious and momentous, I don’t think they feel that way as deeply anymore. I don’t think that they marvel at the gift of being granted another year or wonder as intently as previous Americans did about what the New Year might bring; nor do I think that they reflect deeply about the events of the previous year, though there certainly are all sorts of retrospectives that mark the end of the year news cycles. So the stroke of midnight that heralds the end of one year and the arrival of another does not seem especially marvelous or magical or even important to many Americans. In sum, we take the passage of time for granted. Americans in the past did not; their New Year’s observances were suffused with intense reckoning with the passage of time, particularly with the specter of death. Perhaps this has to do with increased longevity: whereas in 1900 the average lifespan in the United States was 47 years, today it is nearly 79 years. It might also have to do with the rise of the birthday as a moment with which to reckon with time; in the 19th century only some Americans celebrated their birthdays, but most marked their own time on earth with the New Year. College Football Playoffs: I was not surprised that college football playoff games televised on New Year’s Eve last year (2015) were significantly less popular than the games scheduled for New Year’s Day the year before (2014). Some people argued that the match-ups in 2015 were not as competitive as in 2014, and that the 2015 teams did not have as large a fan base as the 2014 games, but this might account for five to ten percent fewer viewers, not 36% fewer. I think the decrease in viewership reveals the depth and strength of other New Year’s Eve traditions, ones that involve intensive social interactions. Since 1902, football fans have been able to watch games on New Year’s Day: this a strong and vibrant tradition. While many families certainly watch games together, football games are especially popular among male friend groups. But New Year’s Eve is typically a time for married and unmarried lovers (of whatever sexual orientation), for people of all ages seeking love (or just a kiss), and for families; dinner dates, dancing in clubs, parties at home, and attending venerable public celebrations, such as the ball drop in Times Square, are not going to give way very quickly to watching football on TV. So, ESPN and the College Football Playoff organization made a huge misstep, in my view, when they scheduled the playoff bowl games for New Year’s Eve. ESPN underestimated the hold of other traditions, particularly ones related to intensive socializing whereby various sorts of social relationships are cemented, renewed or initiated. Thus a 36% decrease in viewership between one year and the next: on New Year’s Eve, many Americans would rather dine, drink and dance together than watch football. And even those who are at home watching television would rather watch the televised dance parties and concerts in anticipation of the ball drop than watch football. American Flag: The New Year has always been an important national holiday. Between 1790 and 1932, the President hosted a New Year’s Day reception in which he welcomed everyone from the highest ranking diplomats and military officers, to vagabonds living in the streets. The President also delivered the State of the Union address shortly after the arrival of the New Year. The nation’s health was assessed and measured with the passage of each year, and plans and wishes for its health improvement were made in tandem with the arrival of a New Year. The New Year was celebrated by many public officials with official open houses, as well as with appropriation of funds for celebratory concerts and fireworks shows. Zachery Williams Associate Professor of History at University of Akron 
What tips and tricks do you have for people trying to make a new year’s resolution they can actually keep? As far as tips for making sustainable New Year's Resolutions, it makes sense to find common ground between a big idea resolution (such as saving more than spending) and plotting out a month by month plan of how to go about achieving that goal. Also, one must take into context larger socio-economic circumstances that may impact one's ability to fulfill what in earnest may well be good intentions. Oftentimes, a grand vision without practical steps or practicality without some acknowledgement of the significance of a grandiose resolution falls short of meeting expectations. Taken together, idealism and practicality are a match made in heaven. Do you find any of the attached statistics surprising? Why? The stats that strike me the most are the following:
- America’s Favorite Holidays
- New Year's Eve 2016
- New Year's Day
- 7,792 – Average number of births on New Year’s Day
- 1st – Of January 1863, Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation
- New Year’s Resolutions
- Top New Year Resolutions
What tips and tricks do you have for people trying to make a new year’s resolution they can actually keep? First realize that, in most cases, NYRs involve either breaking long-standing habits or creating new ones. Breaking long-standing habits is notoriously difficult and requires interrupting the cycle of cue-behavior (habit)-reward that keeps such habits in place. Major changes in routine (such as come from taking a vacation or changing jobs) are good opportunities to make that happen. The easiest way to create new habits is simply to do them in the same way each time. This includes the same place, time, and social context. In a nutshell it is scheduling & repetition. Finally, research suggests that the best way to implement new goals (on the road to creating new habits) is to be as detailed as possible, and to create “if-then” rules, when initially forming your intentions (such that when x occurs, or when it becomes x time of the day, you will do y). Actually simulating (creating a clear mental image of) the behavior you want to perform, in the specific context in which it will occur, may also help. Then, once the routine is established, you can forget the details & images as the habit takes over. How can local authorities promote safety and reduce alcohol related accidents on New Year’s Eve? Obviously, the more people know about police presence, checkpoints, etc., the less they would be likely to drive while impaired (at least in those areas). In terms of media, I would think that the most successful campaigns would be those that establish a direct connection between a person’s DUI conviction and the impact it could have on their lives. And here again, details (in the ad) are important in terms of the specific people being targeted – age, race, SES, social/cultural context, etc. You want the person to spontaneously remember (perhaps while intoxicated) the potential negative impacts of DUI (legal, financial, moral, spiritual). Do you find any of the attached statistics surprising? Why? Not really, although I guess I am always amazed to hear that 67% of people make NYRs but only 8% are able to achieve them. That really speaks to both the optimistic spirit of Americans as well as the overall difficulty of behavioral change. Cynthia J. Pietras Associate Professor and Chair of Behavior Analysis Program at Western Michigan University 
What tips and tricks do you have for people trying to make a new year’s resolution they can actually keep? Keeping resolutions is often a self-management problem. It requires understanding what factors lead to failure. Often, our resolutions fail because although certain future outcomes are valuable to us when we make the resolution (such as saving money or being healthy), their value is overridden by rewards which, because they are immediately available, gain control of choices. We act impulsively, instead of self-controlled. For example, eating a high fat food, smoking that next cigarette, or making an impulse purchase provides an immediately valuable outcome (with little immediate detrimental effect), whereas the more valuable long term outcome of being healthy and having a larger savings is delayed and diffuse. This problem of self-control has been analyzed extensively by behavioral researchers, including Howard Rachlin, Leonard Green, James Mazur, and many others, who have shown that the control of behavior by short-term outcomes stems from temporal discounting. Temporal discounting refers to the finding that delayed rewards have less value and less effect on our choices than immediate ones. To ensure that our choices stay aligned with our long-term goals, we need to minimize control by those immediate outcomes. One way to ensure persistence is to make a commitment response. A commitment response is a response that makes it difficult (soft commitment) or at best impossible (hard commitment) to opt for those short-term, less valuable rewards. For example, signing up for an automatic savings plan is a commitment response that makes it difficult to overspend. Terminating a cable TV subscription could be a commitment response that makes it more likely that you will read those books you've been meaning to read. Commitment contracts that arrange rewards for success or penalties for failures may also be valuable. For instance, depositing money with a friend who is instructed to give it away if you fail to meet your weight loss-targets may help keep you motivated to exercise and eat well. Paying for a personal trainer may increase the chance that you will go to the gym. Making your resolutions public may help with persistence by establishing social supports. You might announce to co-workers and friends that you are quitting smoking or reducing caffeine intake. These individuals may then help you reach your goals by encouraging your successes (and perhaps reproaching your lapses). Fortunately, there are various websites available to help people commit to goals, such as StickK.com or Beeminder.com. At StikK.com, for example, individuals set goals, set stakes (put money at stake that may be lost by failing to reach targets), identify a person to serve as a referee for reporting, add social supports, and then begin reporting their behaviors. Commitment responses are not the only strategy for improving self-control, but they can be an effective self-management tool. We may have a better chance of keeping our resolutions therefore, if, after we make our resolution, we also act to change our environment to promote our own success.from Wallet HubWallet Hub
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