Percentage of Americans who reject the idea that women should return to their traditional roles in society, with most believing that both husband and wife should contribute to the family income, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends Project: 75

Percentage of working mothers who say they always feel rushed, compared with a quarter of stay-at-home mothers or working fathers: 40

Source: Pewsocialtrends.org.

Ranks of self-esteem/self-confidence and work/life balance on the list of the top motivations for which people seek professional coaching services, according to a recent global study of coaching clients commissioned by the International Coach Federation: 1, 2

Source: International Coach Federation.

Percentage of consumers who are planning to celebrate Halloween this year, according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation: 62.1

Number of adults across the country who plan to dress up for Halloween this year: 47 million

Number of children who will dress up: 58 million

Source: National Retail Federation.

Percentage of business travelers who read personal books/magazines or listen to/view in-flight entertainment on the plane when traveling for work, according to an Egencia survey: 50

Percentage of respondents who sleep on the plane: 15

Percentage who spend their transit time working: 34

Source: Edelman.

Percentage of U.S. adults who would not change their personal definition of the perfect job once the economy improves, according to a Work Watch study released by Randstad: 83

Percentage of Americans who would be doing what they are currently doing or would be staying in the same field after the market improves: 61

Percentage of those surveyed who would want a sabbatical as a perk of their ideal job: 18

Source: Ranstad.

Percentage of all data breaches for small and medium-sized businesses that involved insider negligence, according to a Ponemon Institute LLC study released in April 2009: 88

Percentage that were the result of a malicious act: 12

Source: GFI Software.

Percentage of all U.S. dog owners who agree that spending time with their dog lifts their spirits, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Beneful: 95

Percentage who say that their dog helps them enjoy the simple pleasures in life: 92

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of American homeowners who believe their own home lost value in the past 12 months, according to the Zillow Q2 Homeowner Confidence Survey: 60

In reality, percentage of homes that lost value during that time, according to Zillow's second-quarter Real Estate Market Reports: 83

Source: Zillow.

Percentage of U.S. workers who made a career change last year, according to survey by SnagAJob.com: 18

Of those who did, percentage who did so proactively because they were looking for a new opportunity: 33

Percentage who reported that they sought new employment because they had been laid off or dismissed from their previous job: 25

Source: SnagAJob.com.

Percentage of senior executives and managers who expect their overall number of employees to increase over the next 12 months, according to a global survey of business leaders conducted by NFI Research: 26

Percentage who believe that employment numbers will remain the same: 50

Source: NFI Research.

Idle Thought

"It is good to rub and polish your mind against that of others." -- Michel de Montaigne, essayist

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of workers who would be willing to tell a same-level co-worker that their zipper was undone, according to a survey from CareerBuilder: 67

Percentage who would tell a lower-level co-worker: 62

Percentage who would tell a higher-level co-worker: 50

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of heating and cooling contractors who say the No. 1 thing they do to improve their home's energy efficiency is change air filters on a regular basis, according to an online survey conducted by Lennox Industries: 85

Percentage of contractors who say the most common misconception when shopping for a new heating or cooling system is that a bigger system is always better: 39

Source: Lennox Industries.

Percentage of employers who reported that they have received applications from workers over the age of 50 (but not retired) for entry-level jobs, according to a study from CareerBuilder: 26

Percentage who have received entry-level applications from retirees: 11

Percentage of employers who said they would consider experienced candidates who apply for jobs for which they're overqualified: 65

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Of paternity tests conducted, percentage of men being tested who were not the biological father, according to findings of the American Association of Blood Banks: 30

Source: The American Association of Blood Banks.

When technology professionals were asked what companies can offer when salary increases aren't a viable option, percentage who said job security, according to a Dice survey: 35

Percentage who cited training and certification classes: 32

Percentage who said flexible work hours: 31

Source: Dice.

Percentage of parents who feel financial education should also be taught in school, according to a survey conducted for ING Direct: 96

Percentage who think it should happen before high school: 82

Source: ING Direct's Sharebuilder 401(k).

Percentage of people in the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany and Italy who view close relationships as their top priority in life, according to research reported by The Future Laboratory commissioned by Eastman Kodak Co.: 70

Percentage of respondents who see their colleagues every day: 36

Percentage who claim to never see their parents: 41

Percentage of respondents who said they prioritize spending time with family first: 86

Source: Kodak.

Rank of the Grand Canyon on the list of top destinations for family vacation packages, according to a poll conducted by the U.S. Tour Operators Association: 1

Source: United States Tour Operators Association.

Percentage of American adults age 30 and older who agree that the economic crisis has increased their desire to provide financial protection for their family, according to a survey on behalf of New York Life: 83

If something were to happen to the breadwinner in their family, percentage of adults over age 30 who say that they would primarily rely on life insurance: 32

Percentage who say that they would take an additional job: 22

Percentage who would buy a ticket and hope to win the lottery: 1

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Ranks of limited advancement opportunities (11.2 percent), compensation (11 percent) and lack of challenge/personal growth (9.5 percent) on the list of top reasons cited by executives for being unhappy at work, according to a survey of employed executives with an average annual salary of $206,000 by ExecuNet: 1, 2, 3

Source: ExecuNet.

Idle Thought

"An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth." -- Bonnie Friedman, author

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of self-employed workers (from small business owners and consultants to fishing guides and freelance writers, private contractors, artists and construction workers) who say they are "completely satisfied" with their jobs, (compared with 28 percent of all wage or salaried employees), according to survey by the Pew Research Center Social and Demographic Trends project: 39

Percentage of all workers who are their own bosses who say they are dissatisfied with their employment situation, half the proportion of other workers who are dissatisfied: 5

Source: Pewsocialtrends.org.

Savings achieved by consumers using packaged goods coupons last year, according to The Promotion Marketing Association Coupon Council: $3 billion

Estimated number of dollars worth of packaged goods coupons that are offered annually: $400 billion

Source: Promotion Marketing Association.

When on a first date, percentage of respondents who say they will decide in just a half hour whether they will see the other person again, according to a survey conducted jointly by American Way, the in-flight magazine of American Airlines and by specialty dating service It's Just Lunch: 66

Percentage who say they make the decision in the first five minutes: 16

Source: It's Just Lunch/American Way.

Approximate number of hours per week that are lost by Intel's knowledge workers due to information overload, according to Basex research: 8

Annual cost this represents for a company the size of Intel: $1 billion

Source: Basex Inc.

Rank of strategic thinking on the list of the most important qualities for leadership competency, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive: 1

Percentage of directors and vice presidents who have never had training on strategy: 90

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of business people who feel attention spans are shorter today than they were three years ago, according to a survey by Connie Dieken, a leadership communication coach: 99

Source: Comcast.

Percentage of Americans who think the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses, according to a Gallup Poll: 57

Percentage who think that government should do more to solve our country's problems: 38

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of small business owners who have a positive view of the economic environment and its impact on their ability to grow, according to the American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor: 55

Concurrently, percentage of firms that are at risk of going out of business due in part to personal funds being tapped out (up from 11 percent six months ago): 17

Percentage that are using personal or private funds to manage cash-flow challenges (up from 23 percent six months ago): 32

Source: American Express OPEN.

Number of school-age children (ages 5 to 17) in the U.S. who speak a language other than English at home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 10.9 million

Number of those children who speak Spanish at home: 7.9 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of all participating food banks that reported a significant surge in demand for emergency food assistance over the past year, according to a survey by Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger relief charity: 99

Percentage of food banks that report that the increase is particularly driven by first-time users of the food assistance system: 98

Percentage of food banks that reported that they are seeing more children as clients: 56

Source: Feeding America.

Idle Thought

"In the youth of a state, arms do flourish; in the middle age of a state, learning; and then both of them together for a time; in the declining age of a state, mechanical arts and merchandise. " -- Francis Bacon, essayist, philosopher and statesman

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)