Percentage of working adults who feel compelled to check in with work even while on vacation, according to a poll of full-time working adults conducted on behalf of Randstad: 42

Despite this sense of guilt, percentage who report feeling more productive after they return from vacation: 67

Source: Randstad USA.

Average rate per night to stay in the most affordable double room at The Ranch at Rock Creek, close to the historic mining town of Philipsburg, Montana, according to survey from Luxury-Hotels.com: $2,385

Ranks of The Ranch at Rock Creek, The Point (Lake Placid, New York -- $2,138) and The Resort at Paws Up (Greenough, Montana -- $1,847) on the list of the 10 most expensive luxury hotels in the United States: 1, 2, 3

Source: Luxury-Hotels.com.

Percentage of employers (including 76 percent of men) who believe women are better-suited for business success in terms of their communication and interpersonal skills, according to a study by KRC Research: 82

Percentage of respondents (including 76 percent of men) who rate women higher in terms of their organizational skills: 86

Percentage of respondents, including a majority of women, who say men are better-suited to business success in terms of their leadership abilities: 64

Source: KRC Research.

While dating sites and dating apps remain a popular topic of conversation among Americans, percentage of American adults who claim to have used one, according to a survey by YouGov: 21

Of those who have used dating sites and apps, percentage of adults aged 35 to 54 who have gone on dates with someone they met online, compared to younger users aged 18 to 34 (47 percent): 76

Source: YouGov.

Year that the long-playing record (LP), developed by Peter Goldmark of CBS Labs, was first shown to the public, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1948

Decade that CDs began to replace LPs: 1980s

Decade that digital downloads of music began to drive down CD sales: 1990s

Total music purchases in 2012, down from an estimated $12 billion in 2003: $7 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who have no emergency savings, according to a Bankrate.com report: 26

Even among the highest-income households -- those with annual income of $75,000 or above -- percentage who currently have a six-month savings cushion: 46

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of Americans who would use an extra hour in their day to do more, according to a poll released by Heart+Mind Strategies: 50

Ranks of relax, spend time with family, exercise and pursue a hobby (read, knit, garden, golf, etc.) on the list of answers detailing how that hour would be spent: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Heart+Mind Strategies.

Percentage of Americans who are opposed to the proposed $45.2 billion merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable, according to a public opinion poll by the Consumer Reports National Research Center: 56

Percentage of Americans who agree that the merger will result in higher Internet and cable prices for everyone: 74

Percentage of respondents who believe consumers will have fewer choices when it comes to cable and Internet providers because smaller companies will not be able to compete with Comcast: 74

Source: Consumers Union.

Percentage of global respondents who said that host country Brazil would be victorious in the final game of the FIFA World Cup, according to a pre-Cup poll by Ipsos: 69

Percentage of Brazilians who agreed: 36

Source: Ipsos Global Public Affairs.

Percentage of plus-size women who said they were "confident" or "very confident" in themselves, according to a survey conducted by plus-size apparel brand JMS/Just My Size: 64

Percentage of respondents who said that they were more confident today than five years ago: 75

Source: Just My Size.

Idle Thought

"Every man has his secret sorrows, which the world knows not; and oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad." -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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

Ranks of jewelry, event tickets and electronics on the list of what consumers categorize as "splurge" purchases, according to a survey by RetailMeNot: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of consumers who consider cars to be splurges: 39

Percentage who consider purses/briefcases to be splurges: 34

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of consumers who continue to "feel" overcharged in the auto repair process and rank the experience of going to the repair shop/dealership to get their car repaired on a par with going to the dentist (with women preferring the dentist), according to a consumer survey from AutoMD.com: 83

Percentage of women who have a negative view of the auto service center/repair shop experience, with only 12 percent viewing it positively: 44

Source: AutoMD.com.

Percentage of consumers who check to see if the products they are buying are "natural," despite there being no federal or third-party verified definition for this term, according to a survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center: 59

Percentage of consumers who believe that packaged foods carrying the "natural" label should not include artificial ingredients: 87

Source: Consumer Reports.

Despite a recent study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) that found two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, percentage of Americans who say they are neither overweight nor are they trying to lose weight, according to data aggregated from Gallup's Health and Healthcare surveys from 2011 through 2013: 55

Percentage of Americans who describe themselves as being overweight: 40

Source: Gallup.

Among the 36 million people who moved between 2012 and 2013, percentage who said the most important reason for moving was to be closer to work or for an easier commute (up from 3 percent in 1999), according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau: 5

Percentage who cited the desire for cheaper housing (up from 6 percent in 1999): 8

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who will be packing a bag and hitting the road this summer when they take at least one summer road trip, according to a survey by Bridgestone Americas: 83

Percentage of respondents who choose road travel over air because it gives them greater flexibility: 58

Percentage of summer road travelers who choose to travel by vehicle rather than plane because their destination is too close to fly: 44

Percentage who say they just enjoy driving: 38

Source: Bridgestone Americas Inc.

Percentage of Americans who support the idea of a bride's father "giving her away," according to a Harris Poll: 84

Percentage who also agree with the tradition of having a women-only bridal shower: 74

Percentage who agree that the bride and groom should spend the night before their wedding apart: 71

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of Americans who would support legislation similar to a European law -- the "right to be forgotten" -- that allows citizens to request that links to "inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant" information be removed from search engines, according to a survey by YouGov: 55

Percentage of Americans who are most interested in removing financial information, including bankruptcy judgments: 35

Percentage who would erase links to ex-partners or friends: 29

Source: YouGov.

With the 2014 FIFA World Cup underway, rank of Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal's forward and captain, on the list of the wealthiest footballers competing in this year's tournament in Brazil, according to Wealth-X: 1

Ronaldo's estimated net worth -- accounting for nearly one-quarter of the combined net worth of the 10 players in the Wealth-X World Cup Rich List, beating other high-profile soccer players such as Lionel Messi from Argentina and England's Wayne Rooney: $250 million

Source: Wealth-X.

Percentage of job hunters who look for an employer that is -- first and foremost -- honest, according to a 2014 Employer Branding Study released by Randstad-USA: 78

Ranks of reliable, secure and well-respected on the list of personality traits significant to job hunters: 2, 3, 4

Source: Randstad-USA.

Idle Thought

"There are many ways to be free. One of them is to transcend reality by imagination, as I try to do." -- Anais Nin, writer

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

Percentage of time spent in meetings that professionals say is unproductive, according to a Robert Half Management Resources survey: 25

Percentage of employees who feel one of the most common mistakes meeting leaders make is not sticking to an agenda: 30

Percentage who cite the lack of a clear purpose for the gathering: 30

Source: Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

On average, percentage of their bill that Americans say they usually tip for good service when dining out, according to a recent online survey by a Harris Poll that was conducted on behalf of Michelin: 18

Percentage of Americans overall who say they usually tip between 15 and 20 percent for good service when dining out: 70

Percentage who say they typically tip more than 20 percent: 10

Source: Michelin.

Percentage of Americans who read juice labels at least sometimes, according to a survey by the Jamba Juice Co.: 78

Percentage of people who read juice labels who do so to make sure they are not buying "from concentrate" juice: 32

Percentage of those who read labels who do so to see how much sugar is in the juice they buy: 64

Source: Jamba Juice Co.

Percentage of Americans under the age of 35 who have been bullied, harassed or threatened online, or know somebody who has, according to a poll released by Rad Campaign, Lincoln Park Strategies and Craig Newmark of craigconnects: 47

Percentage of respondents who said they'd been harassed online who said it happened on Facebook: 62

Percentage who said it happened on Twitter: 24

Source: Rad Campaign.

Percentage of pet owners who have made a social media account for a pet, according to research by SquareTrade: 17

Percentage who are a "friend" or "follower" of pets on social media: 25

Percentage who have "spoken" to a pet over Skype, FaceTime or other online video chatting software: 18

Source: SquareTrade.

Year when commercially made ice cream, one of the joys of summer, was first advertised in New York City, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1786

In 1910, average amount of ice cream that Americans consumed per year: 2 pounds

Today, average amount of ice cream that Americans consume per year: 18 pounds

Annual value of the business of making ice cream and frozen desserts: $7.6 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Rank of Jerry Seinfeld, with an estimated net worth of $820 million, on Wealth-X's Hollywood and Bollywood Rich List: 1

Rank of Shah Rukh Khan, the only Bollywood actor on Wealth-X's top 10 list, with an estimated net worth of $600 million: 2

Ranks of Tom Cruise ($480 million), Tyler Perry ($450 million) and Johnny Depp ($450 million) on the list: 3, 4 (tie)

Source: Wealth-X.

Percentage of the gasoline purchased in the country that is sold by convenience stores, according to a survey released by the National Association of Convenience Stores: 80

Percentage of consumers who say they will drive for a summer vacation: 84

Percentage who say they travel by car because they have the freedom to choose where to stop: 52

Source: National Association of Convenience Stores.

Percentage of homeowners across the country who say their outdoor living space is the favorite place in their home, according to a Saber Grills' study: 83

Percentage of current U.S. homeowners who consider their outdoor space the heart of their home: 81

Source: Saber Grills.

Among those who have ever stayed in a hotel, percentage who say they have wanted to take home the hotel bed/pillows/duvet because the sleep was so good, according to a study conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in the United States, Great Britain, Russia and China: 31

Source: Ipsos Global.

Idle Thought

"They know enough who know how to learn." -- Henry Adams

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