Amount of money that Americans racked up in credit card debt during the fourth quarter of 2015, according to WalletHub's 2015 Credit Card Debt Study: $52.4 billion
Amount owed by the average household with credit card debt -- a mark last reached in 2007 during the ramp up to the financial system's 2008 collapse: $7,879
Source: CardHub.
Date that one of the most distinctive and near universal American colloquialisms -- the affirmation "OK" -- was first published in a Boston Post story with a brief definition: March 20, 1839
Year that the paper folded, after 125 years of publication: 1956
Today in the U.S., estimated number of weekly or other newspaper publishers still doing OK in this digital age: 7,500
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
Percentage of workers who would trade wages to get more health benefits, according to an Employee Benefit Research Institute survey: 12
Percentage who would rather have fewer health benefits and higher wages: 20
Percentage of workers who are satisfied with the health benefits they currently receive: 66
Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute.
Percentage of students and parents who report high stress over college applications, according to the Princeton Review's 2016 survey: 72
Percentage who say college is worth the worry: 99
Percentage who say that earning a college degree will potentially help them land a better job and income: 44
Source: Princeton Review.
Percentage of Americans who believe that the American economy is rigged to help the rich and powerful, according to findings from an Ipsos poll: 66
Percentage of Americans who also believe that the middle class is dying: 68
Percentage of Americans who say that traditional politicians no longer care about the average American: 68
Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.
Percentage of Americans who know someone who uses online dating, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center: 41
Percentage who know someone who has met a spouse or long-term partner via online dating: 29
Of those Americans who have used online dating, percentage who agree it is a good way to meet people: 80
Source: Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends.
Annual amount of money made by romance/erotica literature, the highest amount of any book genre, according to research by Adam & Eve: $1.44 billion
Percentage of the market held by this genre: 40
Percentage of the market held by religious/inspirational: 20
Percentage held by mystery/crime: 20
Source: Adam & Eve.
Percentage of CEOs, CFOs and senior-level CPAs who said the outcome of the 2016 presidential election is a consideration or factor in their company's business planning for the next fiscal year, according to a survey by the American Institute of CPAs: 64
Percentage who plan to continue hiring at their current pace: 25
Percentage who said they will defer hiring until after the election: 13
Source: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Percentage of smartphone owners who are using their phones at least occasionally while driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: 67
Percentage of all motor vehicle crashes resulting from distracted drivers: 16
Percentage of fatal crashes: 10
Percentage of injury crashes: 18
Source: AutoMD.com.
Percentage of respondents who say women are not advancing in the workplace due to cultural and societal norms, according to a Mercer survey of more than 500 groups and businesses located worldwide: 25
Percentage of respondents who say women are not advancing in the workplace due to women and gender diversity not being viewed as key business strategy: 21
Source: Mercer.
Idle Thought
"The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved -- loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves." -- Victor Hugo, novelist and dramatist
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)