Of the roughly $48 billion in loyalty rewards dispensed each year, percentage of that amount that is never redeemed, according to a CardHub report: 33

Ranks of rewards expiring after a missed payment and requirements that consumers meet a minimum threshold before rewards could be redeemed on the list of the most common limitations found among all rewards cards: 1, 2

Source: CardHub.

Percentage of consumers who say that even if they had an abundance of money they would still use savings tactics when they shop, according to a survey by Time Inc.'s smart-shopping brand All You and RetailMeNot: 84

Ranks of shopping for clearance items, using coupons in-store and using coupon codes online on the list of tactics they would use: 1, 2, 3

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage higher tax penalties (as a percentage of adjusted gross income) that audited consumers who make less than $200,000 pay than people making more than $200,000, according to WalletHub: 83

Number of times higher the penalty is for audited corporations that earn $250,000 to $1 million than corporations earning $10 million to $50 million: 11

Source: WalletHub.

Between 1965 and last year, growth in the median annual earnings among full-time workers ages 25 to 32 with a college degree, according to a report from the Pew Research Center: $6,667

In the same period, fall in the typical high school graduate's earnings: $3,384

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

Average annual repair costs to small businesses to maintain a PC that is four years old or older, according to a study conducted by Techaisle with 736 small businesses in six countries -- the U.S., Brazil, China, Germany, Russia and India: $427

Hours lost: 7

Source: Techaisle.

Percentage of brides who say that the first wedding photo they posted or will post to social media was or will be a "selfie" (self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a handheld digital camera or camera phone), according to a Wakefield Research survey: 40

Source: Invisalign.

Percentage of men who feel self-conscious about the car they drive when picking up women on the first date, according to a survey by AnastasiaDate: 25

Percentage of men who think women are more interested in the type of car a man drives than the job he has: 30

Source: AnastasiaDate.

Percentage of CFOs not ready to stop working upon retirement who find the prospect of consulting somewhat or very attractive, according to a survey from Robert Half Management Resources: 75

Source: Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

Percentage of women for whom feelings of self-worth are intertwined with the act of giving back, according to a poll conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Loreal Paris: 96

Ranks of hardworking, independent, honest and resourceful on the list of qualities women with strong self-worth are very likely to have: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of being fit, elegant, beautiful or wealthy on the list of attributes that are least likely to be associated with self-worth: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Average amount that consumers spent on Mom this Mother's Day, up 11 percent from last year's $152.52, according to a National Retail Federation Mother's Day spending survey: $168.94

Total spending: $20.7 billion

Source: NRF.

Idle Thought

"A person usually has two reasons for doing something: a good reason and the real reason." -- Thomas Carlyle

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

Ranks of watching TV, taking a hot shower/bath, dimming the lights and reading a good book on the list of bedtime rituals that hotelgoers say are most important to their sleep routine, according to a study conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in the U.S., Great Britain, Russia and China: 1 (tie), 3, 4

In China and Russia, rank of taking a hot shower or bath on the list of top bedtime rituals: 1

In the United States, rank of watching TV on the list: 1

In Great Britain, rank of reading a good book on the list: 1

Source: Ipsos Global.

Percentage of 18- to 34-year-olds who would rather live the life they want now -- having nice things and traveling -- than worry about saving for retirement, according to a survey conducted for TheStree: 40

Percentage of 35- to 49-year-olds who feel the same: 28

Percentage of 50- to 64-year-olds who feel the same: 26

Source: TheStreet Inc.

Percentage of Americans who think that Shakespeare is one of the greatest playwrights of all time, according to a YouGov Omnibus survey: 53

Percentage of Americans who have studied a play by William Shakespeare at school or college: 47

Percentage who have seen the live performance of a play: 27

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of men who are likely to use their mobile device to send and receive suggestive content, compared to 48 percent of women, according to a McAfee survey: 61

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they stored the intimate content that they have received: 45

Percentage who have stored risque photos, videos or messages they have sent: 40

Source: McAfee Inc.

Percentage of Americans who favor the death penalty for persons convicted of murder, down from 78 percent in 1996, according to a Pew Research survey: 55

Number of states that have legally banned the practice in recent years: 18 (plus the District of Columbia).

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

Percentage of people around the world who say their preferred payment method for daily spending is plastic (credit card: 29 percent; debit card: 23 percent; prepaid card: 2 percent), according to a Nielsen's Global survey: 54

Percentage who preferred using cash: 39

Ranks of North America (71 percent), Asia-Pacific (58 percent), Latin America (47 percent), Europe (45 percent) and the Middle East/Africa (35 percent) on the list of areas where the cashless mentality is strongest: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of Americans who worked for an employer with 1,000 or more workers who participated in an employment-based retirement plan, according to research by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute: 54.8

Percentage of respondents who worked for an employer with 10 or fewer employees who participated in an employment-based retirement plan: 13.5

Source: EBRI.

Percentage of organizations that reported that the ability to make a difference in the job function leads the list of effective ways to retain critical talent and ensure transparency so that critical performers understand their status, according to Mercer survey: 59

Ranks of career progression, healthy living/wellness and recognition on the list of other non-cash rewards: 2, 3, 4

Source: Mercer.

Despite a successful IPO (initial public offering), percentage of brands that reported that "measuring ROI (return on investment) and results" is their greatest challenge when using Twitter for marketing, according to a study by Social Media Marketing University: 45

Percentage of brands that agree Twitter is an effective marketing tool, while 30.6 percent remain undecided: 65

Percentage of brands using Twitter as a marketing tool that report having challenges using the platform to achieve specific goals: 96

Source: Social Media Marketing University.

Idle Thought

"The art of progress is to preserve order amid change, and to preserve change amid order." -- Alfred North Whitehead, mathematician and philosopher

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

Ranks of telemarketer, ex, debt collector and friend on the list of the various persons whose calls smartphone users block, according to a study by WhitePages: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Dotted Line Communications.

Percentage of male bosses who admit to having an inappropriate relationship with their secretaries, according to a poll by SeekingArrangement.com: 28

Percentage of men who reported they had not slept with their secretaries -- but they would if given the chance: 25

Source: SeekingArrangement.com.

Average percentage lower tax rates that S&P 100 companies pay on international taxes than U.S. taxes, according to analysis by WalletHub: 30

Percentage lower tax rates that tech companies -- including Apple, EBay and Google -- pay abroad than in the U.S.: 80

Number of S&P 100 companies that are actually paying a negative overall tax rate and are therefore due a tax refund (Abbott Laboratories, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, AIG, Bristol-Myers and Verizon): 6

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of U.S. chief information officers (CIOs) who said communication (lack of face time) is their greatest challenge in managing a remote workforce, according to a survey by Robert Half Technology: 30

Percentage who cited productivity (lack of insight into how work gets done): 22

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Percentage of Americans who consider their lifestyle to be mostly or completely "green," according to a survey by RetailMeNot.com: 44

Percentage of respondents who say the top reason they have for not living a completely green lifestyle is because it is too expensive: 42

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Participation rate in the overall labor force of non-institutionalized Americans near or at retirement age (ages 55 or older) in 2013, according to a report by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), using the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey: 40.3

In 2012, percentage of the workforce represented by Americans aged 55 to 64: 19.2

Percentage of the workforce represented by Americans aged 65 or older: 7

Source: EBRI.

Percentage of Americans who believe economic inequality in the U.S. today is a problem, according to the results of a Harris Poll: 79

Percentage who believe more specifically that it's a major problem: 54

Source: Harris Interactive.

In 2010, of the 64.8 million children of a "householder" who were under the age of 18, percentage who were the biological children of the householder, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 93

Percentage who were stepchildren: 4

Percentage who were adopted children: 2

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of grill owners who feel happy when they fire up the grill, according to the 25th annual Weber GrillWatch survey: 56

Ranks of relaxation, a sense of accomplishment, excitement and being adventurous on the list of positive feelings evoked by the act of grilling: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Weber-Stephen Products Co.

Percentage of Americans who confirm their town or city offers "curbside collection" of recyclables, according to a survey commissioned ahead of Earth Day by the National Waste & Recycling Association: 55

Percentage of Americans who say they're clear on what materials go in recycling bins: 67

Percentage who know it is necessary to rinse used food containers before placing them into recycling receptacles: 64

Source: National Waste & Recycling Association.

Idle Thought

"Broaden your horizons / Open different doors / You may find a you there / That you never knew was yours." -- Mary Poppins

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