Percentage of lowest-income Americans, those aged 49 and younger, women, or those with children under the age of 18 in the household, who say they were not well-rested, according to Gallup-Healthways data from 2008 and 2009: 33
Percentage of retirees who say they feel well-rested: 78
Source: Gallup.
Percentage of employees who admitted to having once entered into a romantic relationship with a co-worker, according to a poll of working Americans commissioned by Workplace Options: 25
Percentage of workers who view public displays of affection in the workplace as unacceptable: 88
Source: Workplace Options.
Percentage of working baby boomers aged 50 to 64 who say they'd rather ease into retirement by working reduced hours or stay on with their current employer past a traditional stop date of age 65, rather than call it quits, according to an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Life's Next Steps: 63
Percentage who say they have to continue working past 65 because they need the money or the benefits: 48
Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.
Percentage of elementary school principals who report that there is a strong link between recess and academic achievement, according to a poll of elementary school principals, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Association of Elementary School Principals and Playworks: 80
Percentage of principals who report that students listen better after recess and are more focused in class: 66
Percentage who believe that recess has a positive impact on children's social development and general well-being: 97
Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Rank of confidence in making a woman beautiful, according to the Meredith Corp.'s Gamma Beauty Study: 1
Ranks of a positive outlook on life, an upbeat personality, healthy/shiny hair and a great body: 2, 3, 4, 5
Source: Meredith Corp.
Percentage of Americans who say they have changed their food consumption patterns because of the economy, according to a survey conducted on behalf of the plastics industries of the American Chemistry Council: 66
Percentage of Americans who now pack lunch for themselves or their children: 72
Percentage who feel good when they store and reuse food rather than throwing it away: 94
Source: Plastics Make It Possible.
Percentage of registered nurses who say they will not be working in their current job a year from now, according to the 2010 survey of registered nurses by AMN Healthcare: 29
Percentage who say they plan to alter their career path in the next one to three years in a way that would either take them out of the nursing field entirely or reduce their contribution to direct patient care by working fewer hours or choosing a less demanding role: 40
Source: AMN Healthcare Services Inc.
Percentage of U.S. adults who plan to file 2009 income tax returns, according to a study conducted on behalf of H&R Block: 87
Percentage of them who intend to enlist professional help from a tax preparer: 33
Percentage who plan to do it themselves, either online (13 percent) or using computer software (11 percent): 24
Source: H&R Block.
Over the past decade, average percentage rise in the price per square foot of an apartment in Manhattan (from $522 to $1,073), according to Prudential Douglas Elliman: 105.6
Average sale price of a Manhattan apartment: $1,393,001
Source: Prudential Douglas Elliman.
Percentage of teachers who said students are either somewhat or very financially illiterate after graduating high school, according to a survey for Wi$eMoney, the team-based financial literacy game developed by The Learning Key Inc.: 52
Source: The Learning Key Inc.
Idle Thought
"The real index of civilization is when people are kinder than they need to be." -- Louis de Berniere, novelist
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)