Latinos in the United States have as a priority for 2022 to maintain or improve their physical health and rebuild or stabilize their family and couple relationships, on top of other issues such as finances and mental health, according to a national study released this Tuesday by Lifeway Research.

The survey, based on interviews with just over a thousand people conducted last September, indicates that Hispanics (especially those who practice Catholicism) are the group that most emphasizes maintaining health (48% vs. 40% of non-Hispanics), as well as restoring or mending relationships with close family members (30% vs. 23%).

At the same time, religiously affiliated Latinos worry least about future financial issues (24% vs. 36% in other groups).

“The decisions (resolutions) for the New Year reflect the changes people aspire to make, but the COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged many people to implement those changes without waiting for the annual year-end reminder,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, while presenting the survey results.

“However, New Year’s decisions remain something many Americans have done at some point in their lives,” he added.

In that context, another national survey, in this case by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), which was published this month, places Hispanics as the group with the highest level of participation in “decisions for the new year,” with 90% of Latinos making those decisions against 87% of African Americans, 85% of other ethnic groups and only 75% of whites.

In addition, according to APA, Latinos are the most committed to dieting at the turn of the year (32% vs. 26% among whites), more travel plans are made (27% vs. 17%), more seek to clean and organize their homes (22% vs. 19%) and more want to help others through donations or volunteering (13% vs. 10%).

Interestingly, APA found that more than half (56%) of Hispanics surveyed will seek to meditate more in 2022, with 38% saying they will see a therapist next year and one in 32% indicating they will reduce their social media presence.

As might be expected, APA found that Latinos are the group with the highest level of anxiety about personal finances (70%) and about the impact of the pandemic (63%).

In addition, one in three Latinos “already knows” that they will not comply with their New Year’s decisions, a slightly higher proportion than African Americans and whites with the same response.

“Making a decision for the New Year does not reveal in what or in whom the person making that decision is basing it on to change their life, nor does it reveal how successful those resolutions will be,” commented McConnell.

“But the higher numbers of young people, those with at least some college education, and people attending religious services at least once a month, among those making New Year’s decisions, indicate that they have a higher motivation (than other groups) to make changes in their lives.”

At the same time, according to APA, Hispanics look forward to the New Year: 36% of Latinos anticipate that 2022 will be less stressful than 2021, the highest percentage among all ethnic groups.

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Source: Hola News, -, & -. (2021, December 29). U.S. Latinos seek to improve health and family relationships by 2022. Hola News. https://holanews.com/latinos-de-eeuu-buscan-mejorar-salud-y-relaciones-familiares-en-2022/