Percentage of business travelers who said they generally like talking to people on planes, according to a survey by Egencia Corporate Travel: 24

Percentage who choose to make conversation with their fellow travelers: 2

Percentage of respondents who start reading to avoid getting caught in an unwanted chat with fellow passengers: 50

Source: Edelman.

Percentage of American firms that saw a drop in profits in 2009 compared to 28 percent globally, according to a global study commissioned by Regus Group of more than 11,000 corporations across 15 countries: 39

Percentage of firms that saw a drop in revenue in 2009 compared to 26 percent globally: 38

Percentage of all American companies that indicated an expected revenue increase in 2010: 67

Source: Regus.

Percentage of Americans who say that they give more gifts than they receive during the winter holidays, according to a poll completed for The Society of American Florists: 70

Percentage of Americans who rank "neighbors" No. 1 on the list of unsung heroes in our lives and communities – "they who throughout the year pick up our mail, keep an eye on our kids and ground our community roots" -- who they believe deserve holiday thanks: 53

Source: Society of American Florists.

Percentage of residents in Utah and South Dakota who express trust in their neighbors, saying they would expect a neighbor who found a lost wallet or purse containing $200 to return it, according to a Gallup Poll: 85 (the highest percentage nationally)

Percentage of residents in Nevada who would expect their wallet to be returned: 60 (the lowest)

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of dog owners who say that they could not live without their dog on a daily basis -- more than say so of their morning cup of coffee (35 percent), television (35 percent), driving their car (26 percent), their cell or smart phone (23 percent) or their best friend (15 percent) 48

Percentage who say they could not live without their significant other: 54

Percentage who say they could not live without their computer: 50

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Rank of the minivan (a vehicle often owned by families with children who spill food and drinks) on the list of vehicles of choice for bears who want a midnight snack, according to a study by scientists at Yosemite National Park: 1

Percentage of the 908 vehicles torn into by bears between 2001 and 2007 that were minivans: 29

Percentage of all vehicles that visit the park that are minivans: 7

Source: Yosemite National Park.

With improving corporate profits underscoring signs of increased economic growth, percentage of recruiters who are forecasting an increase in hiring activity at the executive level, according to the ExecuNet Recruiter Confidence Index: 56

Percentage of recruiters who say assignments are coming from organizations seeking to leverage the current economic climate by "trading up" with new hires for existing positions -- up from 26 percent in February 2009: 46

Source: ExecuNet.

Total average weekly TV and peripheral consumption by American children ages 2 to 5, according to a study by the Nielsen Co.: 32-plus hours

Total average weekly TV and peripheral consumption by American children ages 6 to 11: 28-plus hours

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of U.S. homes that have a hot air furnace, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 60

Percentage of homes that are heated by gas: 60

Percentage that use electricity: 33

Percentage that use fuel oil: 9

Percentage that use coal or wood: 2

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Estimated percentage of all Americans who have left the faith in which they were raised to adopt another faith or no faith at all -- or if they were not raised in a religion, they have since joined one, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life: 50

Percentage of converts who say religion is very important to them: 69

Percentage of nonconverts who say the same: 62

Source: Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

Idle Thought

"Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt." -- Clarence Darrow, lawyer and author

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

Average daily spending by American consumers in stores, restaurants, gas stations and online, according to findings based on aggregated Gallup daily tracking polls: $63

Average daily spending by men: $73

Average daily spending by women: $53

Source: Gallup.

Number of e-mail messages received daily by the typical Intel employee, according to Basex research: 50 to 100

Percentage of e-mails at Intel that were unnecessary: 30

Approximate number of e-mail messages received every day by top Intel executives: 300

Approximate number of e-mail messages received every day by Intel as a company: 3 million

Source: Basex Inc.

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they see value in a decision to enroll in a career college, according to a survey by the Career College Association: 89

Percentage of adults who agree with the idea that in order for the U.S. to be competitive in the global marketplace, every American needs at least one year of college education: 67

Source: Career College Association.

Of the 80 new CEOs appointed among Fortune 1000 companies in 2008, number who were promoted from within (55 percent), according to executive search firm Heidrick and Struggles: 44

While almost all companies technically have a succession plan in place, percentage that had to go outside to hire a CEO -- indicating that many of these plans failed to hit the mark: 45

Source: Temin and Co.

Ranks of "no physical attraction" (54 percent), "lack of personality" (48 percent), "boring conversation" (46 percent), "no shared interests" (39 percent) and "different outlook on life" (38 percent) on the list of factors that singles take into consideration within the first 30 minutes of a first date, according to a survey by American Way, the in-flight magazine of American Airlines, and by specialty dating service It's Just Lunch: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage of respondents who said they believe there were many potential matches they could be happy with: 81

Percentage who believe "there is one true love for each person in the world": 19

Source: It's Just Lunch/American Way.

Percentage of senior executives and managers who say that communication would increase productivity within their organization, according to a global survey of business leaders conducted by NFI Research: 48

Percentage of respondents who say that collaboration would increase productivity: 46

Source: NFI Research.

Percentage of Internet users who now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves, or to see updates about others, according to Pew Internet and American Life Project: 19

Estimated percentage of tweets accounted for by the top 10 percent of prolific Twitter users, according to an analysis of a random sample of 300,000 Twitter accounts by Harvard Business School researchers: 90

Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Percentage of shoppers who report seeking products on sale and comparing prices between brand names and store brands when buying groceries or household products, according to a study by The Integer Group: 80

Percentage of consumers who believe brand names to be more expensive -- suggesting that brand names must offer incentives to consumers or they risk losing them to private labels indefinitely: 84

Source: Integer Group.

Year that Mary Anderson was granted a patent for the first hand-operated windshield wiper, saving people from having to reach outside to clear their windshields when it rains or snows, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1905

Year such wipers became standard equipment on all automobiles and streetcars: 1916

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage increase in the amount of time Americans spent on social networking sites from 2008 to 2009, according to a study by ProCon.org: 83

Estimated amount U.S. advertisers spent to place ads on social networking sites in 2008: $1.4 billion

Projected advertising expenditures by 2012: $2.6 billion

Source: ProCon.org.

Idle Thought

"Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on Earth." -- Fyodor Dostoevsky

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

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they worry "frequently" or "occasionally" about being a victim of identity theft, higher than reported anxiety about 11 other types of crime and the only crime that a majority worry about at least occasionally, according to a Gallup Poll: 66

Percentage of Americans who worry frequently or occasionally about having their cars stolen or broken into: 47

Percentage who worry about having their homes burglarized when they are not there: 46

Source: Gallup.

Percentage decrease in the number of hourly seasonal jobs this year as opposed to 2007, according to an Ipsos Public Affairs poll conducted on behalf of Snagajob.com: 45

Hourly wage that hiring managers expect to pay this year compared to $10 last year: $10.40

Percentage of their seasonal hires that managers will ask to stay on after the holiday season is over: 51

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of workers who reported that they don't pay attention to benefit changes, figuring the same benefits would roll over from the previous year or feeling that the whole process is too confusing, according to a survey by CareerBuilder: 25

Percentage of hiring managers who estimate more than 10 percent of their employees miss annual open enrollment deadlines each year on average: 15

Percentage of human resource managers who said missing open enrollment costs employees, on average, at least $500 in out-of-pocket expenses: 34

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of employees who are considering changing jobs in the next 12 months, according to a Work Watch Survey conducted by Randstad: 12

Percentage of employees who expressed feeling envious of those who have left their organization: 12

Source: Randstad U.S.

For the first time in U.S. history, estimated record number of checks and electronic transactions for debit cards, credit cards and automatic payments by the end of 2009, according to Moebs Services: 100 billion

Percentage of these transactions that will be debit card transactions: 33

Percentage that will be paper checks: 24

Percentage that will be credit card transactions: 23

Percentage that will be ACH (automatic payments): 20

Percentage of all banks and credit unions that have income from overdraft fees that is greater than their net income: 44.5

Percentage of all financial institutions that allow consumers to overdraw their accounts at an ATM or with a debit card, charging a median of $26 for this service: 35

Source: Moebs Services.

Percentage of American males 15 and older who are currently married but not separated, according to a U.S. Census Bureau survey cited by Pew Research: 55

Percentage of females 15 and older who are married, but not separated: 50

Nationally, the median age at first marriage for men: 28

Nationally, the median age at first marriage for women: 26

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Being the first to publish pictures of a Turkish Airlines plane crash and to publish pictures of U.S. Airways Flight 1549's dramatic crash into the Hudson River earlier this year (putting Twitter on the leading edge of all news), percentage of all traffic on Twitter that goes to news sites, according to a breakdown of traffic by the online ad network Chitka: 28.49

Percentage that goes to movies: 22.56

Percentage that goes to tech: 13.39

Source: Chitka Inc.

Percentage of chief financial officers who expect improved business conditions in 2010, according to a poll conducted at Deloitte's CFO Vision 2009 conference: 57

Percentage of CFOs who said ending the recession should be the top public policy issue for the Obama administration: 43

Percentage who felt tax reform should be the top public policy issue: 19

Source: Deloitte.

Percentage of U.S. adults who report that at least one member of their immediate family lost health insurance coverage within the past year, according to a Zogby Interactive poll: 26

Percentage of those in households earning $35,000 and less who report having a family member lose health insurance coverage: 37

Source: Zogby International.

Idle Thought

"What you cannot enforce, do not command." -- Sophocles

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