Percentage of professionals who said they know someone who's called in sick or made an excuse for skipping work following a major sporting event, according to an OfficeTeam survey: 54
Percentage of senior managers who identified playing hooky the day after as the most distracting or annoying employee behavior when it comes to sports: 42
Source: OfficeTeam.
Percentage of Americans who will be pulling out all the stops on Feb. 14, spending a collective $30 billion, according to research by Finder.com: 54
Approximate number of Americans this represents: 43 million
Percentage of men who expect to buy a gift for a loved one, versus only 45 percent of women: 62
Average projected spend by men buying gifts for their wives in 2019: $357.96
Average projected spend by women buying gifts for their husbands: $206.23
Source: Finder.com.
Percentage of American adults who take vitamins or supplements, according to a survey conducted on behalf of the American Osteopathic Association: 86
Percentage of those taking vitamins or supplements who had received test results indicating they have a nutritional deficiency: 24
Source: American Osteopathic Association.
Estimated percentage of the world's entrepreneurs who are working with family members, according to Global Entrepreneurship Monitor's 2018-2019 Global Report, sponsored by Babson College, Universidad Del Desarrollo and Korea Entrepreneurship Foundation: 19
Source: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.
Despite awareness of their increased spending in 2018, percentage of Americans who have never had a budget, according to a survey released by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc.: 20
Percentage who find it easy to spend money: 77
Percentage who say it's easy to overspend when using a credit card or mobile payment: 64
Percentage who do not track their spending: 59
Source: Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc.
Average amount American adults say they planned to spend on food, drinks and party supplies as they watched the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl, according to the National Retail Federation: $81.30
Total spend: $14.8 billion
Source: NRF.
Percentage of people who have agreed to accomplish more than they can actually do in the time they have available, according to a study from researchers at VitalSmarts: 60
Percentage who say they have reached their limit and can't possibly commit to more: 20
Source: VitalSmarts.
Percentage of Americans who say they plan to share chocolate and candy with friends, family and loved ones during Valentine's Day, according to a National Confectioners Association survey: 80
Percentage who are in agreement that chocolate and candy are a treat: 92
Source: National Confectioners Association.
Percentage of Americans with a side hustle or gig who cite the desire to supplement their income as the main reason for taking on the extra work, according to Packaged Facts: 41
Percentage of side giggers who rely on these jobs as their primary source of income: 15
Percentage of gig workers who say the side jobs play a role in leisure activities and are performed just for fun or as a hobby: 19
Source: Packaged Facts.
Number of American adults who say they bet on the Super Bowl, according to a survey conducted for the American Gaming Association by Morning Consult: 22.7 million
Estimated amount that Americans say they wagered: $6 billion
Source: American Gaming Association.
Idle Thought
"Art should be like a holiday: something to give a man the opportunity to see things differently and to change his point of view." -- Paul Klee, painter
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)