When American adults were asked if they would most want to be richer, thinner, smarter or younger, percentage who professed that they would want to be richer, according to the findings of an Adweek Media/Harris Poll survey: 43

Percentage of Americans who said they would like to be thinner: 21

Percentage who said smarter: 14

Percentage who said younger: 12

Percentage who said they would not want to choose any of the given options: 9

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of kids who reported that they did have chores to do at home, according to the Highlights State of the Kid Report: 71.9

Reported average weekly allowance, down sharply from a decade ago, for which they overwhelmingly must do chores: $3 to $5

Source: Highlights Magazine.

Percentage of men who find a frugal blind date to be both "smart" and "sexy," according to a survey from ING Direct USA: 61

Percentage of women, on the other hand, who find a frugal blind date to be "smart" and "sexy": 44

In the financial battle of the sexes, when compared to men, number of times more likely that women are to be turned off and upset by a partner who spends too little on them: 2

Source: ING.

Percentage of full-time employees of companies with 1,000 or more employees who wish they didn't spend most of their work hours sitting, according to a study conducted on behalf of Ergotron: 75

On average, total number of hours per week that full-time employees of companies with 1,000 or more employees report spending seated -- at a desk (21), in meetings (3), working at home (4): 28

Average number of hours per week that full-time workers at large companies spend facing a computer or a mobile device: 25

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Year that one of America's favorite snack foods is said to have originated when chef George Crum -- irritated at a customer for sending back his fried potatoes because they were too thick and soggy -- decided to slice potatoes paper thin and stir-fry them as potato chips: 1853

Worldwide estimated annual value of the potato chip market: $16 billion

Estimated number of pounds of potatoes each American eats annually, a good part of which is made up by chips: 39

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Ranks of Singapore, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Canada and Switzerland on the list of countries with the highest potential net population gain through migration, according to Gallup's Potential Net Migration Index: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Sierra Leone, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and the Somaliland region on the list of countries with the highest potential net adult population loss: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of employers who use social media to promote their companies, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 35

Percentage of these employers who said they are using social media to connect with clients and find new business: 25

Percentage who are using it to recruit and research potential employees: 21

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of pasta-eating Americans who prefer the traditional pasta sauces of meat, Alfredo or marinara, according to a national survey fielded by Olive Garden and conducted by Kelton Research: 74

When it comes to food, percentage of Americans who associate Italian cuisine with generosity and abundance, more than any other type of cuisine: 35

Source: Olive Garden.

Percentage of teens who feel students with home wireless (Wi-Fi) have an easier time completing school assignments, according to a home learning survey conducted for Cisco's Consumer Products: 90

Source: Opinion Research Corp.

Idle Thought

"A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and there is an invisible labor." -- Victor Hugo, novelist and dramatist

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

As they get ready to return to their classrooms, percentage of older tweens and teens (ages 11 to 17) who are most looking forward to a "fresh start," according to a survey by the YouthBeat insight service of Chicago-based C&R Research: 80

Percentage of kids (ages 6 to 10) who look forward to a fresh start: 39

Percentage of these kids who are most looking forward to seeing old friends at school: 80

Percentage of these same kids who are excited about seeing old teachers: 33

Source: C&R Research.

Percentage of adults ages 18 to 29 who say a landline phone is a necessity, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends project: 46

Percentage who say the same about a television set: 29

Source: Pewsocialtrends.org.

Percentage of U.S. small- and medium-sized businesses that have fallen victim to cybercrime, according to a Panda Security survey: 46

Percentage of businesses that are operating without anti-spam: 31

Percentage that have no anti-spyware: 23

Source: Panda Security.

Percentage of moms who agree it's a struggle to get kids to the dinner table, according to a survey conducted by Weinman Schnee Morais Inc.: 70

Percentage who say their kids complain about what's for dinner at least once a week: 50

Percentage who say they wish they had more recipes their family loved: 66

Source: Weinman Schnee Morais Inc.

Percentage of HR managers who said their greatest staffing concern is employee training and development, according to a survey by OfficeTeam: 45

Percentage who said retaining top-performing employees was their greatest staffing concern: 27

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of general market shoppers who report that they "always" rely on a shopping list while in the store, according to a study by The Integer Group: 43

Percentage of shoppers who said they were enticed to buy something not on their list by either a sale or special promotion: 78

Source: Integer Group.

From nursery school to college, number of American students who are headed to the classroom -- more than one-out-of-four of the total U.S. population age 3 and over, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 76 million

Of the 56 million elementary and high school students enrolled this fall, percentage who will attend private schools: 11

Percentage of students whose parents report that their children often like going to school: 66

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of travelers polled from across the world who said that London's black cabs were far and away the pick of the world's taxis, according to the annual Hotels.com taxi report: 59

Percentage who said New York cabs were their favorite: 27

Percentage who cited Tokyo as their favorite: 26

Ranks of Berlin taxis and Bangkok's tuk tuk taxis on the list: 4, 5

Source: Hotels.com.

Percentage of active women who say that when they are working out regularly they feel more inclined toward romance, according to findings based on a survey sponsored by Propel Enhanced Water and conducted by Opinion Research Corp.: 51

Percentage who say they are more likely to want to go out on the town with friends: 37

Ranks of feeling healthier, more energized, stronger, more confident and more accomplished on the list of advantages non-active women said they would gain by working out regularly: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Opinion Research Corp.

Percentage of employers who report that they are seeing experienced workers (those with more than 10 years experience) and mature workers (workers age 50 or older), apply for internships at their organization, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 23

Regardless of applicants' ages, percentage of employers who said they plan to hire interns during the remainder of 2010 to help support workloads: 27

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Idle Thought

"The world is divided into armed camps ready to commit genocide just because we can't agree on whose fairy tales to believe." -- Ed Krebs, photographer

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

As the controversy over the Arizona immigration law continues, percentage of Hispanics who say that the hardships faced by Hispanic immigrants living in the United States are worth it in order to ensure a better future for their families, according to the newest Ipsos-Telemundo telephone poll: 81

Percentage of Hispanics who also agree -- including 55 percent who completely agree -- that in spite of the current economic conditions, immigrants who live in the U.S. are better off financially than they would be if they lived in their country of origin: 79

Source: Ipsos Reid Public Affairs.

Percentage of U.S. workers who admitted they would take some form of company property with them when leaving a position, according to SailPoint's 2010 Market Pulse Survey: 49

Percentage of workers who would take customer data, including contact information: 29

Percentage who would take product information, including designs and plans: 15

Source: Sailpoint Market Survey.

Amount of time that empty nest opportunist (ENO) parents in the U.K. say they save per year on domestic drudgery because they no longer have to cook and clean for their child, according to a survey for UNITE: 3 months

Increase in the average ENO's circle of friends once they cut the apron strings: 5

Number more times per week that extra hours allow ENOs to socialize than when their kids were at home: 3

Source: UNITE.

Average commute from home to work for Americans, according to a Gallup Poll: 23 minutes

Percentage of U.S. workers who spend more than half an hour getting to work: 19

Percentage who commute for more than an hour each way: 3

Percentage of employees with a commute of more than 90 minutes who say they have had a neck or back condition that has caused recurrent pain in the past 12 months: 33

Source: Gallup.

Year that Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins of Hastings, Neb., according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1927

Number of different flavors that will be dispensed by the world's largest Kool-Aid stand during the annual Kool-Aid festival in Hastings, Neb.: 22

Estimated number of gallons of Kool-Aid that are consumed worldwide each year: 500 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of western clients hoping to find a Russian or Ukrainian bride on "romance tours" organized by dating giant Anastasia International from 2002 to 2009 who are now either married (13 percent) or in what qualifies as a lasting relationship (5.9 percent): 18.9

Percentage of respondents who became engaged but broke it off: 2.3

Source: Anastasia International Inc.

Average amount that the average American family will spend this year on back-to-school clothes, shoes, supplies and electronics, according to the National Retail Federation's 2010 Consumer Intentions and Actions Back to School survey, conducted by BIGresearch: $606.40

Expected total spending on school-aged children in grades K-12: $21.35 billion

Projected combined K-12 and college spending, serving as the second biggest consumer spending event for retailers behind the winter holidays: $55.12 billion

Source: BIGresearch.

Percentage of employees and job-seekers who say they've become increasingly uncomfortable about discussing their salary and compensation with anyone, according to a survey on behalf of Glassdoor.com: 17

Among those employees who are comfortable sharing salary information, percentage who are willing to discuss this information with their boss: 25

Percentage who will discuss this information with their financial adviser: 24

Source: Glassdoor.com.

Percentage of Americans who say they are passionate about food, according to the Lawry's "What's Your Flavor" survey: 50

Percentage who watch cooking shows regularly: 34

Percentage of respondents who say they try a new flavor at least once a month: 66

Source: Harrison Group.

Percentage of Americans who fall into the "healthy lifestyle" category, by making healthy food and portion choices and by exercising regularly, according to the Nutrisystem Diet Index issued by Nutrisystem Inc.: 35

Percentage of American women who would take a summer without sex over gaining 10 pounds: 52

Source: Kelton Research.

Idle Thought

"How easy to be amiable in the midst of happiness and success." -- Madame Anne Sophie Swetchine, mystic

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