As the new year looms closer and closer, people all over the UK will be looking at ways to make 2012 one of great fortune and longevity. Despite the buzz centred round the possibility of another recession and superstitions over world’s demise based on Mayan beliefs, people still continue to set New Year resolutions to ensure 2012 is more prosperous than the year before for them.

Setting New Year resolutions is an old tradition dating back to Ancient Babylonian times around 2000 BC. It became a celebrated holiday after Julius Caesar created a calendar in line with the changes in season. The Romans used this holiday to reconcile conflict with their enemies as well as exchange gifts with fellow Romans as a means of wishing them good fortune for the upcoming year.

In this day and age, the process of establishing New Year resolutions seldom involve wishing others good fortune. Instead, people are inclined to pursue good fortunes of their own.

In an online survey conducted amongst people living in the UK, setting New Year resolutions appear to be common practice, with only 28% of all respondents not planning on setting any resolutions at all.

So what “good fortunes” – if any, will people in the UK pursue throughout 2012? No surprise, but of those who’ll be setting themselves New Year resolutions, 83% are chasing health and wealth while very few (14%) include travel in their plans for 2012. Could these goals simply be a repercussion of the difficult times people have faced in the UK over the past few years?

The old adage that health and wealth go hand in hand suggests that by leading a healthier lifestyle one is able to work longer and harder. Interestingly, concern for health becomes increasingly more prominent while focus on money becomes less of a priority with age. Chasing healthier lifestyles in 2012 appears to be common amongst all respondents who intend on setting themselves New Year resolutions. Despite the fact that the average number of sick days taken each year is decreasing, pursuit of a healthier lifestyle may actually spell good news for employers since sick days costs employers around £17billion every year.

The good news is that the potential for UK respondents to realise both health and wealth as a goal throughout 2012 is likely. Figures show that more than half of all respondents who took part in the paid online survey achieved some of their goals from the preceding year.

Should the trends indicated by this online survey be consistent over the coming year, then talks of recession and potential hardship may be a topic of the past. And if Chinese folklore is anything to go by, then being the year of the Dragon - symbolic of good fortune - 2012 may actually land up being a good year for people in the UK after all.

Fiona Roy writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.