From mindset to daily life: how people pursue health and why it’s not always easy

After enjoying the Christmas market, mulled wine, biscuits, festive meals and champagne, many people feel the need for a fresh start. The resolutions are quickly formulated, including do more exercise, eat less sweets, get a sufficient amount of sleep, lower screen time, reduce stress and give up alcohol and/or nicotine. The list is long. However, living up to these resolutions remains a challenge for many people. This is exactly what the latest GDI survey on health and well-being shows.

The survey

In December 2025, the GDI surveyed a total of 3,031 people from German-speaking Switzerland, Germany and Austria about their life satisfaction as well as attitudes and behaviours relating to nutrition, health and beauty. Among other things, we wanted to know from the respondents how they currently keep themselves healthy and how consistently they manage to do this in their everyday lives. The end-of-year survey reveals which measures are generally considered important and how well they can actually be implemented.

Great willingness to lead a healthier lifestyle

There is a great willingness to do something for your own well-being. Sufficient sleep and rest, a healthy diet and maintaining social contacts are the top priorities. Some 94% and 93% of those surveyed stated that they had already implemented these measures or could well imagine doing so. Medical check-ups (91%), exercise and sport (90%) and cognitive training (87%) were also met with wide-ranging approval. Reducing stress (86%) and abstaining from alcohol, nicotine or other substances (85%) are also integral components of a healthy lifestyle for many people.

When good intentions meet everyday life

"Good is the resolution, but the fulfilment is difficult", Johann Wolfgang von Goethe already knew. A look at the actual implementation hence also shows that good intentions do not always keep step with reality. Only around 55% of those surveyed always or usually manage to get enough sleep and eat a healthy diet as often as they would like. Regular exercise is achieved by 52% of those surveyed. Dealing with stress remains particularly challenging. Less than half of the respondents consistently implement the relevant measures. On the other hand, abstaining from consuming addictive substances proves comparatively successful. Almost 75% stated that they usually or always live up to this resolution as planned. Medical check-ups (63%) and the targeted use of dietary supplements (67%) also cause few difficulties for most people.

Differences between age groups in the realisation

The differences between the age groups are striking. Older people realise their health-related plans much more consistently than younger people. In the 65–75 age group, 70% state that they usually or always implement their resolutions as planned. The 25–39 age group is the most critical of themselves. Only just over half see themselves as being successful here.

This age effect can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Younger generations are more often under a lot of time stress due to work, family and social commitments. At the same time, they may evaluate their behaviour more strictly. Older people have more experience in dealing with their own resources and formulate their expectations more realistically. A resolution that appears achievable from the outset is also implemented more consistently.

Outlook: From individual resolutions to structural support

The results are an example of the tensions involved in the pursuit of well-being. Nowadays, health is understood holistically and encompasses nutrition, physical and mental fitness as well as social and emotional aspects. At the same time, it is clear that individual motivation alone is not enough. The key factor is how well offerings, products and structures support people in permanently incorporating their resolutions into their everyday lives.
The upcoming GDI study "Feelgood Revolution" offers an in-depth insight into these dynamics. It addresses the following questions, among others:

• How satisfied are people in the DACH region with their appearance as well as their mental and physical health?
• How great is the perceived social pressure to look good, be healthy and efficient, and eat healthily? Has this tended to increase or decrease in recent years?
• Where do most people obtain information about health issues? Via search engines, AI applications or from doctors and pharmacists?
• How widespread are cosmetic procedures such as Botox or cosmetic surgery and how willing would people be to have them if the financial barriers were to be removed?
• How old do people actually feel and how young do they want to look?
• What motivates people to remain healthy or beautiful, and what are the different types of well-being that can be identified in the population?
• Who is responsible for the health of the population? Is it a case of everyone for themselves? Is it the food producers? Perhaps even the government? Or maybe everyone is to a limited extent?
• Would people welcome the removal of "unhealthy" foods from supermarkets' product ranges?  

These and other perspectives show how nutrition, health and beauty are coming together to form a new wellness economy and what this means for industry and retail. The "Feelgood Revolution" study will be published in spring 2026.