Percentage of people who report concern about affording holiday and birthday gifts for their families, according to a study conducted by ClearVoice Research and commissioned by OfferUp: 24
Percentage who want their kids to be popular and believe having brand names is a part of that: 15
Percentage who think buying brand-new items for their kids is important because they don't want to be perceived as poor: 12
Source: Clear Voice Research.
Number of Americans who are self-employed, about 10 percent of the active workforce, according to Pew Research Center: 14.6 million
Number of people who worked for those self-employed people, accounting for 44 million jobs, or 30 percent of the national workforce: 29.4 million
Source: Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends.
Ranks of resume customized to their open position, skill sets listed first on the resume, a cover letter included with the resume and an application addressed to the specific hiring manager on the list of things that HR managers say make them more likely to pay attention to an application, according to a survey by CareerBuilder: 1, 2, 3, 4
Source: CareerBuilder.com.
Percentage of people who still like to do the bulk of their holiday shopping in stores, according to creditcards.com: 58
Percentage who favor computers: 21
Percentage who prefer mobile devices: 11
Source: Creditcards.com.
Percentage of Americans -- representing more than 7 million drivers -- who reported falling asleep behind the wheel within the past two weeks, according to The National Sleep Foundation's recent fielding of the Sleep Health Index: 3
Percentage of respondents who reported having avoided driving in the past two weeks because of feeling tired: 8
Number of annual deaths attributed to drowsy driving: 6,400
Source: National Sleep Foundation.
Year that the Rensselaer School in Troy, New York, now known as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was founded as the nation's first engineering school, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1824
Year that its first 10 students graduated with an engineering degree: 1826.
Today, estimated number of engineering service firms in the nation, employing over 1 million people: 59,000
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
Rank of broad daylight on the list of times when most burglaries occur, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics: 1
Ranks of the front door, the back door and a first-floor window on the list of the most common points of entry: 1, 2, 3
Average loss for homeowners, including cash, valuables and damage to property: $2,230
Estimated number of burglaries that occur every day, approximately one burglary every 15 seconds: 5,800
Percentage of all property crimes committed in the United States that are accounted for by burglary: 23.4
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Age that Americans say kids are ready to be home alone, according to a Harris Poll: 13.5
Age that Americans feel kids are ready for their first one-on-one date: 16
Age that Americans say kids are ready for their first kiss: 15
Age that Americans say kids need the "sex talk," a year earlier than they were given the chat themselves: 12.3
Source: The Harris Poll.
Percentage of attorneys who said legal disputes between unmarried couples who had previously lived together are on the rise during the past three years, according to a survey of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers: 45
Percentage of the attorneys who also noted a decrease in cohabitation agreements being drawn up between same-sex partners since same-sex marriage has been legalized: 70
Source: American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
Percentage of managers who say they are satisfied with their job, up from 55 percent in 2012, according to a survey by the Global Wellness Institute: 67
Percentage who believe in their organization's values: 76
Percentage who feel fairly treated by their employer: 61
Source: Global Wellness Institute.
Idle Thought
"When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set." -- Lin Yutang, writer and translator (1895-1976)
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)