By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – While making New Year’s resolutions may have been common practice in years past, the practice has somewhat fallen out of fashion of late. In fact, it seems in many cases the most talk one hears about resolutions is in the context of jokes about the brevity for which they are kept.

Residents of the River Parishes, however, may be bucking that trend as more than three-quarters of respondents to last week’s poll question — “What is your New Year’s resolution?” — indicated they would be making one for 2011.

Common themes can be found among resolutions, and about two-thirds of those locals who were making resolutions said theirs was related to improving their diet or losing weight.

Three other themes scored nearly equal percentages among voters, with giving up some sort of vice such as smoking or drinking, trying to curb one’s use of foul language and going to church and/or praying more garnering nearly all of the other votes cast.

Coming in at the bottom of the vote getters was reading more and/or watching television less. This option, however, was not the least popular of the choices as no one said being a better driver was their resolution.

A full breakdown of responses follows:

• 9 percent of respondents chose “Quit a vice – smoking, drinking, etc.”

• 49 percent of respondents chose “Eat healthier, exercise and/ or lose weight.”

• 8 percent of respondents chose “Try to curse less.”

• 8 percent of respondents chose “Go to church/pray more.”

• 0 percent of respondents chose “Be a more careful driver.”

• 3 percent of respondents chose “Read more/watch television less.”

• 23 percent of respondents chose “I didn’t make a New Year’s resolution.”