Open dataset behind the study New Year's Resolution Retention (Skoove, 2021-2024) by Skoove & DataPulse Research.
How the month you start a habit predicts whether you keep it. Six-month retention of 1.1M Skoove piano learners by start month (2021-2024), plus cross-country New Year's resolution statistics.
- Learners who start in May are about 23% more likely to reach the six-month mark than average; December starters are about 28% below average.
- Around 25% of all annual signups happen in the December-January resolution window, the cohort least likely to persist.
- 36% of Germans made a New Year's resolution for 2026, against 31% in the US and 19% in the UK.
- The 'Fresh Start' effect is real but mistimed: the popular January start is one of the weakest for long-term retention.
New Year's resolution statistics by country
| metric | value_percent | country | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| make_new_year_resolutions_2026 | 36 | Germany | Statista |
| make_new_year_resolutions_2026 | 31 | US | YouGov |
| make_new_year_resolutions_2026 | 19 | UK | YouGov |
| abandon_by_mid_january | 41 | US | Pew Research |
| abandon_within_6_days | 22 | UK | YouGov |
| complete_resolution_full_year | 27 | UK | YouGov |
| beginners_quit_within_12_months | 90 | Global (guitar) | Fender |
| skoove_signups_in_dec_jan | 25 | Global | Skoove |
Six-month learner retention by start month vs. average
| start_month | six_month_retention_vs_average_pct | note |
|---|---|---|
| January | -21 | stated |
| April | 18 | study gave +18-23% |
| May | 23 | stated (highest) |
| June | 18 | study gave +18-23% |
| December | -28 | stated (lowest) |
- Skoove (1,137,446 anonymized users, 2021-2024)
- Statista
- YouGov
- Pew Research
- NIH (Fresh Start Effect)
Full analysis with all charts: New Year's Resolution Retention (Skoove, 2021-2024)
CC BY 4.0. Free to reuse with attribution: Skoove & DataPulse Research, "New Year's Resolution Retention (Skoove, 2021-2024)" (https://www.skoove.com/blog/de/klavier-neujahrsvorsaetze/).