Estimated amount that Americans spent on silicone gel breast implants and injectables in 2018, according to data from The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery: $2 billion-plus
Number of breast augmentation procedures that were performed in 2018 by plastic surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery: 329,914
Source: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Percentage of Americans who say they feel guilty about spending money, according to a survey, conducted on behalf of Slickdeals: 51
Of those who admitted to feeling guilty when spending money, percentage who said they do not feel remorse buying something at retail price: 5
Average amount that Americans feel guilty about spending each week: $89
Amount this represents over 60 years: $277,680 Source: Slickdeals.
Percentage of business travelers who think it would be harder to go without high-speed Wi-Fi than clean underwear on a business trip, according to a La Quinta Means Business survey: 64
Percentage who unpack their suitcases and put things in the closet or dresser: 40
Source: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.
Percentage of high school seniors headed to college who are concerned about their ability to pay for it and who try to approach preparation responsibly, according to research by Ascent Funding: 92
Percentage who are doing so by taking the lead on filling out admission applications themselves: 84
Percentage who are serving as the final decision-maker on selecting a college: 80
Source: Ascent Funding.
Percentage of Americans ages 18 to 54 who have three or more mother figures in their lives, according to a survey conducted by Edible Arrangements: 44
Of the "other mother" figures, ranks of friends, grandmothers and mothers-in-law on the list of the top "other mother" figures they look to the most: 1, 2(tie)
Source: Edible Arrangements.
Percentage of consumers who have returned a non-defective item in the last 12 months, according to the results of a study on consumer return behavior for non-defective electronics products by TechSee: 41
Estimated amount of revenue lost annually for brick-and-mortar stores and online retailers that is contributed to by this behavior: $17 billion
Source: TechSee.
Percentage of Americans who think the weather is growing increasingly severe, according to a study fielded by the Weather Company, in partnership with Morning Consult: 74
Estimated percentage of Americans who have experienced severe weather that damaged their homes or made them evacuate: 40
Source: The Weather Company, an IBM Business.
Percentage of global employees whose concentration levels, productivity and creativity is negatively affected by noise, according to a workplace study by Interface: 69
Across the U.S., U.K. and Australia, percentage of employees who indicate their company does nothing to address noise: 44
Ranks of conversations among employees, phone conversations, phones ringing and the sound of people walking around on the list of the top distractions cited across the globe: 1, 2, 3, 4
Source: Interface.
Percentage of American adults who agree that having a mental health disorder is nothing to be ashamed of, according to a survey conducted on behalf of the American Psychological Association: 87
Percentage who said they believe that people with mental health disorders can get better: 86
Source: American Psychological Association.
Percentage of employers surveyed who agree that companies will need to customize payment options to remain competitive in the war for talent, according to a study released by the ADP Research Institute: 78
Percentage of employees who say off-cycle pay options, such as the ability to choose pay frequency, would make a difference when considering a job offer: 62
Source: ADP.
Idle Thought
"You can't learn in school what the world is going to do next year." -- Henry Ford
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)