Estimated number of affluent households in the United States, representing the wealthiest 10 percent of all U.S. households based on net worth, as determined by the Federal Reserve Board: 11.4 million

Average annual income of these households: $267,000

Average net worth: $3.1 million

Average investable assets: $1.8 million

Average primary residence value: $1.2 million

Source: American Affluence Center.

Percentage of young men (ages 18 to 34) who say that having a successful marriage is one of the most important things in their lives, a drop of six points since 1997, according to the Pew Research Center: 29

Percentage of young women who say the same, a rise of 9 points since 1997: 37

Source: Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends.

Percentage of global employees in 26 countries who say they work in a job that requires them to interact with people from other countries, according to a poll conducted by Ipsos Global Public on behalf of Reuters News: 27

Percentage of those who say the language used most often in those interactions is English: 67

Source: Ipsos Global Public Affairs.

Percentage of all fatal and serious car crashes that are caused by male drivers, according to the 4AutoInsuranceQuote.com study "Women Are Bad Drivers -- Fact Or Fiction?": 80

Percentage less likely that women are than men to cause auto accidents: 27

Source: 4AutoInsuranceQuote.com.

Percentage increase in overall wine consumption in the U.S., marking the 18th year of volume increases, according to the Beverage Information Group's Handbook Advance 2012: 2.5

Source: Beverage Information Group.

Percentage of today's younger renting generation (ages 18 to 34) who responded that they intend to buy a home, according to a Home Buyer Poll by TD Bank: 84

Percentage of consumers who say homeownership is a vital component to defining the American Dream, and with it they associate feelings of excitement or pride as part of their first-time home-buying process: 59

Source: TD Bank.

Percentage of respondents planning to travel this summer who will use credit card rewards to cover some of their summer vacation expenses, up from 42 percent in 2011, according to Capital One: 50

Percentage who were even willing to trade in as much as $200 worth of rewards for an extra vacation day if it were an option: 19

Ranks of airfare (58 percent), hotels (42 percent) and gas (18 percent) on the list of the most popular redemption options: 1, 2, 3

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have dined at a fast food restaurant chain in the past month, according to the results of a Harris Poll: 63

Percentage who have dined at a local casual dining establishment: 53

Percentage who have eaten out at a casual dining restaurant chain: 50

Source: Harris Interactive.

Over a three- to four-year period, average percentage reductions in energy consumption targeted by businesses, according to a survey from the Deloitte Center for Energy Solutions: 25

Percentage of companies that have set goals regarding electricity usage and energy management practices, with 66 percent identifying cost-cutting as their primary motivation: 90

Percentage of businesses that view reducing electricity costs as essential to staying financially competitive, a 9 percent jump from 2011: 85

Source: Deloitte.

Idle Thought

"Mistakes are part of the dues that one pays for a full life." -- Sophia Loren, actress

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

Percentage of salespeople (67 percent men, 33 percent women, average age 40) in more than 1,000 U.S. companies who said established forms of communication (face-to-face and telephone contact) were most helpful in generating new sales, according to the results of two surveys presented by Behavioral Sciences Research Press at the 2012 annual convention of the Southwestern Psychological Association: 70

Percentage who claimed email was most effective: 10

Source: Behavioral Sciences Research Press.

Since crooning a few lines of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" at a New York fundraising event, spot claimed by President Obama with 29 percent in the National Association of Music Merchants' annual survey on America's favorite "unexpected musician": 1

Ranks of actress Meryl Streep (violin/24 percent), actor Robert Downey Jr. (piano, vocals/24 percent), funnyman Steve Carell (flute/10 percent) and "The Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence (guitar/5 percent) on the list: 2 (tie), 4, 5

In response to a Gallup poll, of those Americans who do not play a musical instrument, percentage that wish they did: 85

Source: NAMM.

Percentage of respondents who say they sleep most nights with a significant other, according to the National Sleep Foundation poll: 63

Percentage of Americans who say they have a bedroom television, of which 11 percent say they leave it on all night: 71

Source: National Sleep Foundation.

Value of the horticulture business -- the supply of all the plants for home gardens and landscaping in the U.S. -- according to the U.S. Census Bureau: $11.6 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of millennial moms (aged 18 to 35) who use their phone in the bathroom, according to a Meredith parents network survey: 21

Percentage of moms who said shopping was the No. 1 way they use their smartphone: 81

Average number of apps they have loaded on their phones: 13

Source: Meredith's Parents Network.

Percentage of Americans who believe having a strongly sexual relationship with someone online counts as cheating, according to a survey by Euro RSCG Worldwide: 73

Percentage who know someone whose offline relationship ended because of their actions online: 32

Source: Euro RSCG.

Percentage of consumers who said they are not very satisfied with technology's ability to make their life simpler, according to a survey by Ketchum: 76

Percentage of consumers who prefer technology that simplifies their life vs. entertaining them (35 percent) or signaling who they are to the world (11 percent): 46

Source: Ketchum Global Research Network.

Percentage of Americans who wish it were more socially acceptable to discuss bathroom behaviors without relying on crass bathroom humor or euphemisms, according to a survey by Georgia-Pacific and conducted by Strategy One: 33

Percentage of people who say talking on the phone in the bathroom bothers them: 25

Percentage who are taken aback by people who eat in the bathroom: 52

Source: Strategy One.

Of mothers offering specific grades ("A" to "F"), percentage who graded their area's public schools "A" or "B," according to data compiled by Braun Research Inc.: 65

Percentage of moms who gave the same high marks to parochial or private schools: 83

Source: The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice.

Percentage of Americans who are using social media to shop -- equating to nearly 95 million social shoppers in the U.S. -- according to a study released by Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide: 42

When asked how often social media is used to shop today versus a year ago, percentage of people who confirmed they are using it more: 73

Source: Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide.

Idle Thought

"It has been said that a pretty face is a passport. But it's not. It's a visa, and it runs out fast." -- Julie Burchill, writer and journalist

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

Percentage of women who see a glass ceiling in corporate America, according to Treasury and Risk, the leading Summit Business publication and website for CFOs, treasurers, risk managers and senior financial executives: 82

Percentage of men who see a glass ceiling: 41

Source: Summit Business Media.

Percentage of men and women across the U.S. who said it was important to recognize a person by name when doing business, according to a survey conducted by Social Science Research Solutions for Imprint Plus: 96

Percentage of all respondents who stated that it is important to identify a sales person by name: 70

Source: Social Science Research Solutions.

Percentage of all exported tequila, 108 million liters per year, that is purchased in the United States, which now consumes more tequila than Mexico, according to research by Corcoran Associates and CRT Consejo Regulador del Tequila A.C.: 80

Source: CRUZ del Sol Tequila.

Ranks of going to the movies (35 percent), going out for dinner (23 percent), going to a party (17 percent), going for a walk or outdoor adventure (13 percent), or even mini-golf (1 percent) on the list of the most popular first dates, according to a poll conducted by Ipsos Reid: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage who agree that they like to incorporate going to a movie into a date night: 57

Source: Ipsos Reid Public Affairs.

Percentage average salary increase for nurses over the last year, according to UBM Medica's Physician's Practice 2012 Staff Salary Survey: 4

Percentage average salary increase for nurse managers over the last year: 12

Source: UBM Medica U.S.

Percentage of teens who say it would be much easier for them to postpone sex and avoid teen pregnancy if they were able to have more open, honest conversations with their parents, according to a survey from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy: 87

Percentage of young people age 12 to 19 who agree with the statement: "It doesn't matter whether you use birth control or not, when it is your time to get pregnant, it will happen": 42

Source: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

Percentage of Americans who say they are concerned about being able to support themselves financially should they become disabled and unable to work, according to research from the nonprofit LIFE Foundation: 75

Percentage of working Americans who say they would have trouble supporting themselves financially "immediately" following a disability that keeps them out of work: 25

Source: LIFE Foundation.

Percentage of Americans who would rather get a good night's sleep than have sex, according to a national survey by the Better Sleep Council: 61

Percentage of women who agreed: 79

Estimated percentage of Americans who fall asleep somewhere other than their bed at least once a week: 50

Source: Better Sleep Council.

Increase in the percentage share of babies born to unmarried mothers from 1960 to 2008, according to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center for the People and the Press: 800

By 2008, percentage of all babies born in the U.S. who were born to an unwed mother: 40

Percentage of millennials (ages 18 to 30) who see it as a change for the worse, compared to 62 percent of Gen Xers (ages 31 to 46), 67 percent of baby boomers (ages 47 to 65) and 76 percent of the silent generation (over 65), according to a survey conducted in 2011: 52

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

Percentage of consumers who said the great outdoors is their preferred place to cook during the warmer months, according to nationwide poll results released from the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association: 85

Percentage of grill and smoker owners who cook year-round: 62

Source: Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association.

Idle Thought

"A man may be very industrious, and yet not spend his time well. There is no more fatal blunderer than he who consumes the greater part of life getting his living." -- Henry David Thoreau

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