Percentage of lowest-income Americans, those aged 49 and younger, women, or those with children under the age of 18 in the household, who say they were not well-rested, according to Gallup-Healthways data from 2008 and 2009: 33

Percentage of retirees who say they feel well-rested: 78

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of employees who admitted to having once entered into a romantic relationship with a co-worker, according to a poll of working Americans commissioned by Workplace Options: 25

Percentage of workers who view public displays of affection in the workplace as unacceptable: 88

Source: Workplace Options.

Percentage of working baby boomers aged 50 to 64 who say they'd rather ease into retirement by working reduced hours or stay on with their current employer past a traditional stop date of age 65, rather than call it quits, according to an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Life's Next Steps: 63

Percentage who say they have to continue working past 65 because they need the money or the benefits: 48

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of elementary school principals who report that there is a strong link between recess and academic achievement, according to a poll of elementary school principals, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Association of Elementary School Principals and Playworks: 80

Percentage of principals who report that students listen better after recess and are more focused in class: 66

Percentage who believe that recess has a positive impact on children's social development and general well-being: 97

Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Rank of confidence in making a woman beautiful, according to the Meredith Corp.'s Gamma Beauty Study: 1

Ranks of a positive outlook on life, an upbeat personality, healthy/shiny hair and a great body: 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Meredith Corp.

Percentage of Americans who say they have changed their food consumption patterns because of the economy, according to a survey conducted on behalf of the plastics industries of the American Chemistry Council: 66

Percentage of Americans who now pack lunch for themselves or their children: 72

Percentage who feel good when they store and reuse food rather than throwing it away: 94

Source: Plastics Make It Possible.

Percentage of registered nurses who say they will not be working in their current job a year from now, according to the 2010 survey of registered nurses by AMN Healthcare: 29

Percentage who say they plan to alter their career path in the next one to three years in a way that would either take them out of the nursing field entirely or reduce their contribution to direct patient care by working fewer hours or choosing a less demanding role: 40

Source: AMN Healthcare Services Inc.

Percentage of U.S. adults who plan to file 2009 income tax returns, according to a study conducted on behalf of H&R Block: 87

Percentage of them who intend to enlist professional help from a tax preparer: 33

Percentage who plan to do it themselves, either online (13 percent) or using computer software (11 percent): 24

Source: H&R Block.

Over the past decade, average percentage rise in the price per square foot of an apartment in Manhattan (from $522 to $1,073), according to Prudential Douglas Elliman: 105.6

Average sale price of a Manhattan apartment: $1,393,001

Source: Prudential Douglas Elliman.

Percentage of teachers who said students are either somewhat or very financially illiterate after graduating high school, according to a survey for Wi$eMoney, the team-based financial literacy game developed by The Learning Key Inc.: 52

Source: The Learning Key Inc.

Idle Thought

"The real index of civilization is when people are kinder than they need to be." -- Louis de Berniere, novelist

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

Percentage of Americans making $90,000 or more per year who say they would expect a neighbor who found a lost wallet or purse containing $200 to return it, according to a Gallup Poll: 82

Percentage of those making less than $24,000 per year who expressed this kind of trust in their neighbors: 50

Source: Gallup.

Number of U.S. homes with at least one TV, according to Nielsen's 2010 Media Industry Fact Sheet: 114.9 Million

Percentage of video content in the U.S. that is watched on traditional television: 99

Number of hours per week the average American watches TV: 31.5

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of people who said they would spend more money on a mattress if they thought it would improve their sex life, according to a survey by Sit 'n Sleep: 33

Percentage of respondents who said they were less active if they didn't get enough sleep: 66

Source: Sit 'n Sleep.

Approximate amount of money that shoppers saved by using coupons in 2009, according to the Coupon Industry Facts Report recently released by NCH Marketing Services: $3.5 billion

Number of coupons redeemed by consumers in 2009, a 23 percent increase over the prior year: 3.2 billion

Source: Valassis.

In today's "SHE-conomy," percentage of affluent women who feel a sense of responsibility to pass along lessons learned in the economic downturn, according to results of a survey by Synovate: 50

Percentage of women who have already passed along guidance to others, the primary recipients of this advice being children, spouse/family, friends and colleagues: 52

Source: Women and Co.

Year that the first Social Security check was issued, according to the Census Bureau: 1940

Amount of money on the check that was made out to Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vt.: $22.54

Estimated number of Social Security beneficiaries there are today, including retired and disabled workers and surviving spouses, as well as children: 49 million

Average monthly benefit check for a retired worker: $1,044

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of parents who anticipate that their children will attend college who expect them to contribute at least in part to their own college tuition, according to a survey commissioned by Futuretrust: 90

Percentage of these parents who expect them to contribute by applying for scholarships and grants, though both are increasingly endangered financial species: 80

Source: Futuretrust.

Worldwide, the average number of children borne by women with no schooling, according to research by the WorldWatch Institute: 4.5

Average number borne by women with some primary school: 3

Average number borne by those who complete at least one year of secondary school: 1.9

Source: WorldWatch Institute.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have given or plan to give to relief efforts following the earthquake in Haiti, according to a Zogby Interactive survey: 64

Percentage of African-Americans who have donated or plan to, including 47 percent who have already done so: 81

Source: Zogby International.

Percentage of American men who are affected by hair loss, according to a survey conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Rogaine: 40

Percentage of Americans who incorrectly cite stress as a leading cause of hair loss: 75

Percentage who think frequently wearing a hat is a cause: 35

Source: Rogaine.

Idle Thought

"Not far from the invention of fire must rank the invention of doubt." -- Thomas Henry Huxley

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

Percentage of Americans who revealed that they have peeked at a colleague's pay stub, admitting that they have given in to temptation and crossed the line to satisfy their curiosity, according to the Harlequin Romance Report 2010: 48

Percentage of American women surveyed who admitted to taking money from their significant other's wallet without their knowledge: 20

Source: Harlequin Enterprises Limited.

Percentage of employees who have had a co-worker take credit for their idea, according to a survey by OfficeTeam: 58

Percentage of employees who spoke up to let others know it was their idea: 27

Percentage who did nothing: 41

Source: OfficeTeam.

Estimated global digital music industry revenues in 2009, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's 2010 Digital Music Report: $4.2 billion

Percentage of all recorded music industry revenues worldwide that now comes from digital channels: 25

Since 2004, percentage increase in digital revenues: 940

Source: International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

Number of 30-second commercial slots during the Super Bowl in 2010, an increase from 55 in 2007, according to industry research firm IBISWorld: 62

Cost this year of a 30-second commercial spot, down from $3 million last year: $2.7 million

Percentage of ad space for the Feb. 7 game that has already been sold, despite major players like Pepsi and FedEx dropping out due to economic troubles: 100

Source: IBISWorld.

While the national unemployment rate remained at 10 percent in December 2009, percentage of unemployed people who have been out of work for more than 27 weeks, according to O.I. Partners: 40

When counting people working at part-time jobs who would prefer full-time work, and those who have become discouraged and stopped looking altogether, combined unemployment/underemployment rate: 17.3 percent

Source: O.I. Partners.

Percentage of respondents who think society is less judgmental about cosmetic surgery than it was five years ago, according to a survey by the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery: 71

Percentage who said society's attitude toward cosmetic surgery made them feel more comfortable about getting a procedure: 62

Ranks of breast augmentation (42.4 percent), facelift (32.2 percent) and tummy tuck (32.1 percent) on the list of the most accepted invasive procedures: 1, 2, 3

Source: American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.

Percentage of advertising and marketing executives who said they have received bad career advice from coworkers, according to a survey by The Creative Group: 60

Percentage who said they have been steered in the wrong direction by their bosses: 54

Percentage who said they had received bad career advice from parents/relatives: 35

Source: The Creative Group.

Percentage of adults who have flown two or more times in the past year and are satisfied with the procedures for going through security checkpoints, according to a Gallup Poll: 65

Percentage who are satisfied with the airlines' efforts to deal with problems of flight delays/cancellations: 53

Percentage of travelers who are satisfied with fees charged by airlines for baggage or for rebooking a flight: 24

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of U.S. health care executives who believe the U.S. health care system is in crisis and are concerned health care reform legislation may negatively impact the quality of care and hospitals' profit margins, according to the 2009 National Survey on the Impact of Technology in Healthcare Reform: 74

Source: Arketi Group.

Percentage of active travelers who have visited a social networking Web site, according to the results of the travelhorizons survey: 59

Ranks of uploading photos/videos (49 percent), rating products or services (46 percent), visiting a chat room and/or posting content to a blog (25 percent) on the list of the most popular activities while on these sites: 1, 2, 3

Percentage who have joined a community of users who share common travel interests: 20

Source: Ypartnership Public Relations.

Idle Thought

"Many demolitions are actually renovations." -- Jalaluddin Rumi, poet

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