Percentage of employees who say they now realize that their job is doable outside the office, according to a survey by Robert Half: 60
Percentage who say their work/life balance has improved without the commute: 60
Source: Robert Half.
Estimated number of Americans who are worried about their credit scores due to the coronavirus -- some of the most worried groups include middle-income people, the 30-to-44 age bracket and people with fair credit, according to a WalletHub's survey: 87 million
Percentage of Americans who agree that credit scores should ignore any missed payments during the coronavirus pandemic: 86
Source: WalletHub.
Percentage of Americans who say they are cooking more at home, according to findings from a survey conducted by Market Research Answers Inc.: 75
Percentage who expressed concern about takeout and delivery safety: 25
Along with more in-home food prep and safety worries, percentage of respondents who said they expect their 2020 household incomes to be lower than 2019: 43
Source: Market Research Answers Inc.
Percentage of credit card holders (nearly 50 million) who said they've involuntarily had their credit limit slashed on at least one of their credit cards or even had a card closed by their issuer in the past 30 days, according to a report from CompareCards: 25
Percentage of card holders who are using credit cards "more than ever" since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic: 30
Percentage of those earning $100,000 or more who have had their limit slashed or card closed in the past month: 36
Source: CompareCards.
In January 2020, before the pandemic, amount the average American was found to spend monthly on impulse buys, according to a survey by Slickdeals: $155.03
In a new poll in April, during the pandemic, amount the average America spent on impulse buying -- a jump of 18%: $182.98.
Percentage of respondents who said that buying something impulsively during the pandemic has positively affected their mood: 72
Ranks of cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer and toilet paper on the list of the top items Americans have bought impulsively during the pandemic: 1, 2, 3
Source: Slickdeals.
Percentage of global live music-goers who are holding on to their tickets for rescheduled shows, according to research by Live Nation Entertainment Inc.: 90 plus
Percentage who say they want to return to concerts: 91
Source: Live Nation Entertainment.
Average weekly pocket money for 4- to 14-year-olds, according to RoosterMoney: $7.91
Percentage of the kids who save: 39
Percentage of the top chores that involve helping to clean the house: 80
Ranks of Roblox, Fortnite, Lego, apps and Minecraft on the list of the top five places where kids are spending their money during lockdown: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Source: RoosterMoney.
Percentage of Americans who use anti-aging products as part of their daily skin care routine, but only 11% wear sunscreen daily, according to the 2020 RealSelf Sun Safety Report: 62
Percentage of U.S. adults who say they always or almost always wear sunscreen if they plan to be outside for an extended period of time: 64
Ranks of preventing skin cancer, preventing the appearance of aging skin and preventing sun spots on the list of top motivations among sunscreen wearers: 1, 2, 3
Source: RealSelf.
Percentage each of mortgage and auto loan borrowers who are concerned about their ability to make their payments over the next three months, according to a Bankrate.com report: 54
Percentage of those concerned mortgage and auto loan borrowers who have not reached out to their lenders for payment relief: 60
Among those concerned borrowers who have contacted their lenders, percentage who successfully received payment relief: 43 (mortgage) and 46 (auto loan)
Source: Bankrate.com.
Idle Thought
"Truth never damages a cause that is just." -- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)