Percentage of the U.S. workforce that was underemployed during the month of January, translating to close to 30 million Americans who are working less than their desired capacity, according to Gallup's daily measure of U.S. employment: 19.9

Average amount spent per day by those who were underemployed: $48

Average amount spent per day by those who were employed: $75

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of small business owners who believe that stockpiling cash is the best strategy for sustaining their business through the current economic climate, according to a survey released by Brother International Corp.: 53

Percentage of business owners who will strive to make their company -- including employees, marketing budgets and workspace -- more efficient this year: 79

Source: Brother International.

Month and year of the birth of Theodor Seuss Geisel, a Pulitzer Prize winner far better known as Dr. Seuss, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: March 1904

Estimated number of his books -- with their distinctive poetry and illustrations -- that have been sold around the world: 200 million

Even with increasing electronic competition, annual revenue generated by his books that are published and bought for children: $3.3 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

If the old adage holds true that "hemlines go up when the economy improves," the percentage of respondents who predicted that this year's hemlines would go to just below the knee (cautious optimism), according to the results of a survey commissioned by Taubman Centers: 44

Percentage who predicted they would go to above the knee (light at the end of the tunnel): 38

Percentage who said "ankle duster" (uncertain times ahead): 14

Percentage who said "cheesecake" (good news ahead) -- a reference to classic pinup photography: 4 percent

Source: Taubman Centers Inc.

Percentage of 16- to 17-year-old high school students who said that it is their responsibility to fund part or all of their higher education costs, according to the findings of the College Savings Foundation's first How Youth Plan to Fund College Survey: 75

Percentage of high school students who are grappling with trade-offs, saying that the cost of school will definitely (30 percent) or possibly (47 percent) influence their further education plans: 77

Source: College Savings Foundation.

Percentage of full-time positions that were filled by internal transfers and promotions in 2009, according to research by careerxroads.com: 51

Percentage of all external hires accounted for by referrals: 26.7

Source: CareerXroads.

Percentage decline in U.S. ad spending in 2009, according to preliminary figures released by The Nielsen Co.: 9

Estimated amount of money this represents: $11.6 billion

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

As markets continue to stabilize, percentage of executives of private companies who are optimistic about the U.S. economy over the next 12 months (up two percentage points from the previous quarter), according to PricewaterhouseCoopers' Private Company Trendsetter Barometer survey: 45

Percentage of those who market abroad who are optimistic about the world economy: 47

Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Percentage of Americans who wrongly believe the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an "umbrella group" for America's local humane societies, according to Center for Consumer Freedom: 71

Percentage who falsely believe HSUS "contributes most of its money" to local organizations that care for cats and dogs: 59

According to the federal income tax return filed by HSUS for the tax year 2008, percentage of the organization's budget that consisted of grants to hands-on pet shelters: 0.5

Source: Center for Consumer Freedom.

In a survey of 32 state departments of transportation, number that are now using Twitter to communicate with travelers when major traffic incidents or severe weather, such as snow storms, hurricanes and tornadoes, force road closures or detours, according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials: 26

Ranks of Twitter (65 percent), RSS feeds (56 percent), podcasts (18 percent) and Facebook (13 percent) on the list of the most effective methods to reach their primary audiences: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

Idle Thought

"Old age deprives the intelligent man only of qualities useless to wisdom." -- Joseph Joubert, essayist

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

Percentage of parents of teens who describe teenagers today as "generous," according to study commissioned by World Vision: 9

Percentage of parents who describe teenagers as "lazy": 58

Percentage who describe teens as "selfish": 53

Percentage of those teens themselves who say the current economic climate has made them more aware of the needs of others: 53

Source: World Vision.

Estimated annual percentage of U.S. employment accounted for by private-sector business startups over the period of 1980 to 2005, according to the Business Dynamics Statistics data released by the U.S. Census Bureau: 3

Average annual net employment growth of the U.S. private sector for the same period, which implies that excluding the jobs from new firms, the U.S. net employment growth rate is, on average, negative: 1.8

Source: Kaufman Foundation.

Percentage of all U.S. children born outside marriage in 1960, according to Population Reference Bureau: 6

Percentage of all U.S. children born outside marriage today: 40

Source: Population Reference Bureau.

When asked "What are the one or two strengths of the United States that make you most optimistic about the future of the country over the next 20 years?", percentage of respondents who said strength/will of the American people, according to a Gallup Poll: 35

Percentage who cited military/defense/homeland security: 14

Percentage who said technology/innovation/inventions: 6

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of consumers who prefer that free online content remain free, according to a Nielsen survey across 52 countries: 85

Percentage who believe that if they already subscribe to a newspaper, magazine, radio or television service, they should be able to use its online content for free: 78

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Ranks of Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Japan and Israel on the list of countries with the most favorable image in the eyes of the U.S., according to a Gallup Poll: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Iraq, North Korea, Afghanistan, the Palestinian Authority and Yemen on the list of the least favorable: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Gallup.

Ranks of chili, meatloaf, cheesecake, banana bread and pancakes on the list of the top-10 most Googled recipes in 2009, according to Restaurants and Institutions magazine: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Percentage of Americans who say they are losing their appetite for celebrity antics, according to a survey commissioned by Euro RSCG Worldwide: 48.2

Percentage of Americans who say they are more interested in general news than they used to be: 46.2

Source: Euro RSCG.

Number of times more likely that workers age 18 to 29 are to have symptoms of winter depression or seasonal affective disorder (SAD) that will affect their ability to concentrate at work, according to a survey commissioned by Workplace Options: 3.5

To counter the effects of the winter blues, percentage of women who are willing to discuss their symptoms with others: 67

Percentage of men who are willing to do the same: 33

Source: Workplace Options.

Percentage of seniors who are receiving a smaller Social Security check this year than in 2009, according to a survey of elderly Americans, released by The Senior Citizens League: 51

Percentage of seniors who have cut back on visits to the doctor or hospital outpatient services: 45

Percentage who have had trouble covering their heating, cooling or electric bills: 47

Source: Senior Citizens League.

Idle Thought

"A beautiful thing is never perfect." -- Egyptian proverb

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

Rank of "office politics" on the list of more than 20 potential areas where executives would most like to see improvement, based on a worldwide survey of senior executives and managers conducted by NFI Research: 1

Percentage of executives in large companies who wish for improvements in office politics: 50

Percentage of executives in small companies who wish for improvement in this area: 20

Source: NFI Research.

Percentage of workers who said "acclimating to a different corporate culture and colleagues" would pose the greatest challenge when re-entering the workforce after an extended absence, according to a survey by OfficeTeam: 32

Percentage of respondents who also cited learning new technologies or protocols: 23

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of Americans who say that the first thing that comes to mind when they think of China is the "loss of U.S. jobs or cheap labor," according to a Zogby Interactive survey: 28

Percentage of respondents whose first impression of China is that of a nation that is a growing threat and rival to the United States: 19

Source: Zogby International.

Average number of hours per day that children 8 to 18 years old spend plugged into an electronic media device, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation: 7

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation.

Ranks of North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Minnesota and Iowa on the list of states where U.S. adults were most satisfied in 2009 with their own standard of living, according to a Gallup Poll: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Nevada, Rhode Island, Michigan, Ohio and Georgia on the list of states expressing the least satisfaction: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of teens who are interested in pursuing a STEM career (science, technology, engineering and math education), according to the 2010 Lemelson-MIT Invention Index: 77

Percentage who would be interested in STEM simply by having teachers who enjoy and understand what they are teaching: 55

Source: Lemelson MIT Program.

Percentage of individuals polled in a Mercedes-Benz online community of Generation Y consumers who "strongly agreed" that when making a clothing purchase decision, the item should be "modern with classic design that can be used for years to come," according to a survey by Mercedes Benz: 55

Percentage of respondents who said that if handed a gift of $5,000 that could be used only toward clothing, they would purchase one or two special items that will stand the test of time rather than maximizing the money on quantity: 82

Source: Mercedes-Benz USA.

Percentage of chief executives who move on from the top role and generally remain key players either in their own organization or another, according to a continuing global study of CEO career by management consultants Healthy Companies International: 82

Percentage of respondents who moved on from the head role who were in due course promoted by their organization to a higher position such as chairman or vice chairman: 27

Percentage who went on to the hold the same C-level position with another organization: 7

Source: Healthy Companies International.

Amount of money saved by AAA members in 2009, according to figures based on AAA's Show Your AAA Card and Save Awareness and Usage Study: $2 billion

Average amount saved by members who used the discounts during the year, more than the cost of a basic AAA club membership: $93

Source: AAA.

Percentage of Catholic Millennials (those 18 to 29 years old) who believe in God, according to the results of a Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll: 85

Ranks of "getting married and having a family" and "being spiritual or close to God" on the list of top priorities for Catholic Millennials: 1, 2

Percentage of Catholic Millennials who believe commitment to marriage is undervalued: 82

Source: Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll.

Idle Thought

"Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor the lack of contradiction a sign of truth." -- Blaise Pascal

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