Percentage of people in 32 emerging and developing nations who say the Internet is a positive thing for education, according to a Pew Internet and Life survey: 64

Percentage who say it is good for the economy: 53

Percentage who say it is good for morality: 29

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

Percentage of small-business owners who say that new technologies will offer a bigger return on their investment than hiring another employee, according to a survey by Brother International: 72

Percentage who say hiring another employee will offer a better return: 28

Percentage of small-business owners who say they frequently feel overwhelmed with the number of technologies available to run their businesses: 63

Source: Brother International.

Percentage of Americans who think that 1 in 7 people in the U.S. is a Muslim, according to a survey by Ipsos: 15

Actual chance that a person in the U.S. is a Muslim: 1 in 100

Source: Ipsos Global.

Percentage of the public sector that is unionized, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 35.7

Percentage of the private sector that is unionized, down from 20.1 percent in 1983: 11.1

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of retirees 65 and older who say they are living the retirement of their dreams, according to Country Financial: 79

Percentage of early retirees (ages 50 to 64) who say they are living the retirement of their dreams: 51

Source: Country Financial.

Percentage of singles who met their last first date online, according to a survey by Match.com: 31

Percentage who met through a friend: 25

Percentage who met in a bar or club: 6

Source: Match.com.

In a global survey, percentage of people who say they enjoy the freedom of being connected anywhere, anytime, according to a survey by Nielsen: 76

Percentage who say watching video is an important part of their lives: 55

Source: Nielsen Online.

Number of small-business owners in the U.S., according to Packaged Facts: 28 million

Percentage of those that do not have employees: 80

Source: Packaged Facts.

Percentage of Americans who say they spend time thinking about vacations, according to a survey by Edward Jones: 28

Percentage who say they spend time thinking about retirement: 22

Source: Edward Jones.

Percentage of children age 4 to 8 who skip lunch on any given day, according to Nestle USA: 13

Percentage of 9- to 13-year-olds who skip lunch: 17

Percentage of 9- to 13-year-olds who skip lunch on the weekend: 23

Source: Nestle Confections & Snacks.

Idle Thought

"It is not what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable." -- Moliere, actor and playwright

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

Rank of 2015 as the year in which there are more wealthy Americans at all wealth segments ($100,000 to $1 million in net worth, $1 to $5 million, $5 to $25 million and $25 million plus), according to the Spectrem Market Insights: 1

Source: Spectrem Group.

Number of bills paid by the average household, according to a recent survey by Synergistics Research: 13

Percentage of those that are paid online by computer: 37

Percent that are paid by personal check: 22

Source: Synergistics Research Inc.

Percentage of Americans who believe couples should attend marriage counseling before they marry, according to a Harris poll: 77

Percentage who believe having parents who are divorced is better for children than having parents who are together but unhappy: 71

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of CFOs who say if they gave their staff greater autonomy over how and when they do their jobs (such as flexible work hours, working remotely or less direct supervision) that their productivity would increase, according to a survey by Robert Half Management Resources: 32

Percentage who say they would see a decrease in productivity: 13

Percentage who see no change: 55

Source: Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

Percentage of millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) who have never been married, according to a Pew Internet survey: 68

Percentage of the Silent Generation (born between 1928 and 1945) who, when they were the same age as millennials, were never married: 32

Source: PEW Internet and American Life Project.

Rank of Ireland as the country having the fastest-rising property market, with residential prices jumping almost 17 percent, according to the Global Property Guide: 1

Rank of Europe as the fastest-rising housing market region in the world: 1

Source: Global Property Guide.

Percentage of Americans who have no money set aside for emergencies, according to CreditDonkey.com: 26

Percentage of American households that function without a bank account: 7.7

Source: CreditDonkey.com.

Year that the Exchange National Bank in Chicago opened the first drive-up, offering its motoring customers 10 teller windows with sliding drawers, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1946

Today, estimated number of banks with drive-up tellers: 94,000

Number of employees who work in these banks: 1.5 million

Estimated assets: $15 trillion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who want to spend their golden years in another city or state, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 60

Percentage who said living close to family is the most important factor in deciding where to retire: 24

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of American fliers who report that they "have been intimate" with someone on a plane, according to a survey by Expedia: 5

Of that figure, percentage who report having been intimate with someone who they were traveling with: 3

Source: Expedia.

Idle Thought

"The great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up. That is possible for him who never argues and strives with men and facts, but in all experience retires upon himself, and looks for the ultimate cause of things in himself." -- Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Laureate

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

Average number of years that Americans expect to live in retirement, according to Country Financial: 15

Average number of years adults under 30 expect to live in retirement: 30

Source: Country Financial.

Percentage of millennials who check their smartphone before breakfast, according to a survey by Student Marketing: 90

Percentage who feel anxious when they are without their smartphone: 40

Percentage who spend more time online than offline with friends: 65

Source: StudentMarketing.

Percentage of consumers who treat themselves to dinner away from home at least once a week, according to Technomic: 64

Percentage who say that they sometimes make a dinner out of appetizers at restaurants: 32

Rank of Mexican as the fastest growing appetizer choice among consumers: 1

Source: Technomic.

Percentage of Americans who say they have a hero, according to a yougov.com survey: 50

Percentage of British who say they have a hero: 3

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of managers transitioning into a new leadership role who say they want a cleaner separation between old and new responsibilities, according to a Development Dimensions International survey: 30

Percentage of respondents who are given either written assessment results without the benefit of feedback about their results, or no assessment at all: 85

Source: Development Dimensions International.

Percentage of young adults (ages 25 to 34) who experience pressure to keep up with the types of places they eat and the gadgets they carry, according to a survey AICPA and Ad Council: 65

Percentage who had to use a credit card to pay for necessities like food or utilities: 50

Percentage who still get financial help from their family: 61

Source: The Ad Council.

Year of the first scheduled commercial radio broadcast, when KDKA in Pittsburgh carried the results of the Warren G. Harding's presidential election victory over James Cox and his vice presidential nominee, Franklin Roosevelt, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1920

Within two years, number of new stations as the popularity of radio swept the nation: 400

Today, estimated number of radio broadcast stations in the U.S., with revenues of close to $19 billion annually: 7,300

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Ranks of China, India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia on the list of countries that send the most students to the U.S. to study, according to a report from the Institute of International Education: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain on the list of the most popular study-abroad destinations for U.S. students: 1, 2, 3

Source: Institute of International Education.

Ranks of becoming unexpectedly ill or injured during their trip as the two main worries for travelers, according to a survey by InsureMyTrip.com: 1, 2

Source: InsureMyTrip.com.

Number of chocolate Easter bunnies that are produced each year for Easter, according to the National Confectioner's Association: 90 million

Percentage of Americans who say chocolate bunnies should be eaten ears first: 76

Percentage who said bunnies should be eaten feet first: 5

Percentage who favored eating the tail first: 4

Source: National Confectioners Association.

Idle Thought

"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." -- Lao Tzu

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