A cross-cultural study of sixth-graders' new year's resolutions: Middle-class versus Mennonite and Amish Youth

The New Year's resolutions of middle-class sixth-graders were compared with those of Mennonite and Amish sixth-graders. The Mennonite and Amish youngsters generally resolved to try harder at various things, whereas middle-class youngsters focused on the outcome of their efforts, resolving to do better. The resolutions of middle-class youth were also notably more dynamic and imaginative than those of the Amish and Mennonites. In addition, certain sex differences were found in both cultures. Girls consistently wrote longer resolutions and more of them. Girls also wrote more about home responsibilities and personal health habits, whereas boys wrote more about religious responsibilities and sports and hobbies. All of these sex differences, however, were more pronounced among the Amish and Mennonite youth.