Percentage of managers who believe job seekers include dishonest information on their resumes, according to research from OfficeTeam: 43

Percentage of workers who said they know someone who stretched the truth on these documents: 21

Ranks of job duties, education and employment dates on the list of areas that are embellished most frequently: 1, 2, 3

Source: OfficeTeam.

Average number of text messages the typical American adult sends or receives each day, according to the report Americans and Text Messaging, released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project: 41.5

Average number of daily calls made over cell phones: 12

Percentage of respondents who said they prefer communicating by text to talking on the phone: 31

Source: PEW Internet and American Life Project.

Amount of money that Americans estimate the federal government wastes of every dollar it spends, a new high in a Gallup trend question first asked in 1979, according to results of a USA Today/Gallup poll: 51 cents

Amount of money that Americans believe state governments waste for every dollar: 42 cents

Amount of money they believe local governments waste for every dollar: 38 cents

Source: Gallup.

Age at which Americans become proud of their longevity, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 85

Estimated number of Americans aged 100 or over: 70,500

In 1950, estimated number of Americans aged 100 or over: 2,300

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Number of times more likely that a corporate CEO (versus an average worker) is to believe he or she works in a company where people are inspired, according to a study from LRN: 6

Percentage of employees who say they are primarily coerced on the job, rather than inspired by values and a commitment to a mission and purpose: 84

Percentage who say they are motivated rather than inspired: 12

Source: LRN.

Percentage of homeowners who claim if they lost their job, they wouldn't be able to make mortgage payments after nine months, according to a Country Financial survey: 68

Current average unemployment length, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: 10 months

Percentage of homeowners who say they would be able to maintain payments for just three to six months: 31

Source: Country Financial.

Percentage of millennials (ages 20-29) in the U.S. who say the Internet has opened up greater business prospects for people their age, according to research conducted by YouGovStone on behalf of One Young World: 77

Percentage of U.S. millennials who say their career ambition is to run their own business, versus 69 percent of millennials in China and an average of 68 percent worldwide: 38

Percentage of young Americans who report a career ambition to "work their way to the top of an established business," versus 85 percent of young people in China and 64 percent worldwide: 40

Source: One Young World.

Percentage of pet-owning households in the U.S. that are multiple pet owners, according to the American Pet Products Association in its 2011-2012 National Pet Owners Survey: 40

Number of dogs in the U.S.: 78 million

Number of cats: 86.4 million

Rank of companionship/love/company/affection on the list of top benefits of dog, cat, bird, small animal and equine ownership: 1

Source: American Pet Products Association.

Percentage of U.S. manufacturing executives from global companies with at least $1 billion in revenue who say they will focus on top-line growth over the next two years, fueled by new products, strategic acquisitions and alliances, innovation, and increasing production capacity in high-growth markets, according to KPMG: 26

Percentage who say they will focus on research and development/innovation: 13

Percentage of U.S. respondents who were either very optimistic or optimistic about their company's business outlook for the next two years: 79

Source: KPMG.

Percentage of those who have seen 3-D TV who perceive it to be at least "somewhat better" than standard HDTV or "2-D" TV, according to a study of the TV marketplace, conducted by independent research firm Frank N. Magid Associates: 99

Percentage who said that 3-D TV is "much better" or "dramatically better" than 2-D TV: 71

Source: Frank N. Magid Associates.

Idle Thought

"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life." -- Charles Darwin

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

Percentage of single men who say they are more productive in the workplace when they are dating someone, according to a survey by Zoosk: 64

Percentage of single women who say their productivity actually goes down or is unchanged when they are in a relationship: 53

Percentage of men who say their role model for living a "fabulous unmarried life" is George Clooney: 65

Percentage of single women who say Cameron Diaz is living the ultimate unmarried life: 62

Source: Zoosk.

Percentage of Americans, prompted by nasty headlines about the economy and the stock market, who reduced their spending in the past 60 days, according to Bankrate.com's September Financial Security Index: 40

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of parents who believe that helping their kids with algebra is harder than teaching them to drive a car, according to the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress: 70

Percentage of eighth-graders who scored at or above the proficient level in math: 34

Source: Sylvan Learning.

Ranks of Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina on the list of places having the best business climates among the 50 states, according to a survey of U.S. corporate executives conducted by Development Counselors International (DCI): 1, 2, 3

Ranks of California, New York and Illinois on the list of U.S. states with the least favorable business climates: 1, 2, 3

Source: Development Counselors International.

Number of older adults -- more than a quarter of those 55 and older -- who contributed, on average, more than 3 billion hours of service in their communities per year between 2008 and 2010, according to data released by the Corporation for National and Community Service: 18.7 million

Estimated yearly economic benefit of this service to the nation: $64 billion

Source: Corporation for National and Community Service.

Percentage of cats who said their favorite thing to do was to stay on the move and roam around the house, according to world's first cat survey with Temptations Treats for Cats and Sonya Fitzpatrick -- best known for her television series on Animal Planet and her current SiriusXM show, "Animal Intuition": 52

Percentage of cats who said they liked to watch television: 2

Percent of cats who said getting wet was their biggest annoyance: 49

Source: Temptations.

Percentage of family businesses where the strategic issues are mostly decided by a family council, according to a study of family business owners and executives from the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe released by executive search firm Egon Zehnder International: 51 percent

Percentage of executives from this type of company who describe collaboration with the owners as "marked by major conflicts": 33

Percentage of conflicts that are caused by doubts regarding the merits of family members who work at the company: 60

When asked why they would not work for a family business, percentage of executives who named a lack of career prospects: 40

Source: Egon Zehnder International.

Rank of rice on the list of the world's most important grains, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1

Number of pounds of rice consumed annually by individual Americans in 1980: 9.5

Number of pounds consumed today: 21

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of business leaders who ranked increased technological capabilities such as IT, mobile computing and social media to be the most important skills by far for tomorrow's global workforce, according to an international survey of business leaders from the U.S., U.K., China and Brazil, commissioned by Global Partnership Schools and GEMS Education from PricewaterhouseCoopers: 37

Percentage who ranked deep technical skills as the most important skill for tomorrow's global workforce: 20

Source: Global Partnership Schools.

Percentage of U.S. adults ages 25-54 who said they would encourage college students to participate in internship programs and the networking opportunities that exist there to make getting a job easier, according to a survey by Aerotek: 57

Percentage of those who held internships who found their current job through networking: 55

Source: Aerotek.

Idle Thought

"All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; what is necessary is only to try to think them again." -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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

Of the people who took leisure trips this year, percentage who revealed they often struggle with feelings of melancholy following their return from vacation, according to a survey by TripAdvisor: 34

Percentage who said they always do: 20

Percentage of vacationers who say their "stress-o-meter" readings return to pre-vacation highs soon after returning home: 84

Source: Expedia.

Percentage of Americans who incorporated exercise into their daily commute this summer through activities like walking, running or biking to the workplace, according to an Adecco survey: 36

Percentage who said they have taken walks on their lunch break: 57

Percentage of Americans who indicated they go to the gym before or after work during the summer months: 49

Source: Adecco.

Of the people in America 18 and older in 2010, percentage who were unmarried, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 43.6

Number of people this represents: 99.6 million

Percentage of unmarried U.S. residents 18 and older who had never been married: 61

Percentage who were divorced: 23.8

Percentage who were widowed: 14.4

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of small businesses that consider data to be their organization's most valuable asset, according to research from Carbonite Inc.: 81

Rank of the permanent loss of data on the list of challenges to maintaining their business in the event of a natural disaster -- even more devastating than the loss of the physical location or of products and materials: 1

Percentage of small businesses that never re-open after a data disaster, according to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency): 40 to 60

Source: Carbonite Inc.

Percentage of parents with children 14 to 18 years old who are talking to them about college funding, according to the fifth-annual College Savings Foundation survey of parents: 88

Percentage who are talking about their involvement in paying for it: 57

Percentage of parents who expect their children to help with financing: 62

Percentage who expect them to assume between one-third and two-thirds: 42

Source: College Savings Foundation.

Percentage of middle-income baby boomers who do not have a 401(k), IRA, pension or any other type of retirement account, according to a study of boomer finances released by the Bankers Life and Casualty Co.'s Center for a Secure Retirement: 14

Percentage of respondents who own a home who have already paid off their mortgage: 32

Percentage who do not expect to have it paid off before they retire: 48

Source: Bankers Life and Casualty Co.

Percentage more likely that a child (up to age 12) born to cohabiting parents will experience a parental breakup vs. a child born to married parents: 170

Number of times more likely children are to be physically, sexually or emotionally abused in cohabiting households compared to children in intact, biological married parent homes: 3

Source: Center for Marriage and Families.

Percentage of Americans who approve of marriages between blacks and whites, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll: 86

Percentage of blacks who approve these marriages: 96

Percentage of whites who approve: 84

When Gallup first asked about black-white marriages in 1958, percentage who approved: 4

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of parents of teenage drivers who said if online information about the basics of car repair were available to their teen, they would encourage him/her to use it, according to an AutoMD.com survey: 97

Percentage of parents who rated their teen's basic knowledge of car maintenance as either "somewhat or completely clueless" or "average": 65

Source: AutoMD.com.

Percentage of IT executives who say their own CIO is viewed as a steward who protects current assets and works with available resources, according to a Deloitte survey of IT executives in the U.S., conducted by Deloitte Consulting LLP: 45

Percentage who say their CIO is a strategist: 45

Percentage who claim their CIO is a revolutionary: 10

Source: DeLoitte LLP.

Percentage of U.S. adults who said they feel less financially secure than they did one year ago, according to CouponCabin's first Savings and Spending Report: 45

Percentage who said they always worry about money: 16

Source: CouponCabin.

Idle Thought

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." -- Leonardo da Vinci

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