The past two years had been rough for people across the world, most especially in Asian countries that were hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, it appears that the world is slowly recovering from the pandemic, leaving people with an opportunity to start all over or focus on making up for lost time and opportunities for themselves.

In February of this year, we asked our Southeast Asian panelists about which aspects of their lives should they improve in 2022. Check out the top answers and see if these resonate with your own resolutions for the year!

The Results Are In!

In this survey, panelists were given a chance to select their top priority for self-improvement in 2022:

• Exercise more
• Eat healthier
• Spend more time with loved ones
• Do better in work or school
• Take better care of my mental health
• Pursue new hobbies
• Be more environmentally conscious
• Save more money
• Enjoy simple things
• Read more books
• Start a journal
• Quit smoking
• Others (with written comment)

We found out that there were some answers that were top choices among all participating panelists, as well as one answer that appears to polarize them.

Most of the participating panelists think that saving more money can help them improve themselves in 2022. This was the top response in Hong Kong (18.07%), Malaysia (23.07%), the Philippines (34.96%), Singapore (24.74%), Taiwan (15.15%), and Thailand (23.63%). It is also the second top response in Indonesia (14.38%) and Vietnam (19.19%). It appears that the ongoing pandemic has severely affected the financial status of most surveyon respondents, so saving up becomes a top priority. 

Taking better care of mental health ranks high among panelists as well. It ranks first in Indonesia (22.57%) and is the second top answer in Malaysia (14.95%), the Philippines (11.98%), and Thailand (12.27%). It is the third top answer in Singapore (10.26%) and Vietnam (11.04%). Again, this can be attributed to the pandemic, which has changed the work setups and schedules and caused isolation and loneliness among Asians.

Spending more time with loved ones is also the common answer among the panelists, ranking as the third top answer in Indonesia (12.96%), Malaysia (13.04%), and the Philippines (9.17%), and fourth top answer in Hong Kong (10.43%), Singapore (10.17%), Thailand (10.22%), and Vietnam (9.14%). This is understandable as Asian families and communities are tight-knit, and family is an essential aspect of personal well-being among communities.

Panelists are divided in choosing the answer doing better in work or school. It ranks as the top answer in Vietnam (20.29%) and second in Taiwan (14.84%), but ranks fifth in Indonesia (8.31%), the Philippines (7.98%). This answer appears to be a dividing response among panelists and may be attributed to their respective work and office setups, as well as the resumption of face-to-face classes during the pandemic.

Want to share your opinions and earn some points on the side? Sign up now and become part of our surveyon panel! We'd love to hear what you have to say!