Cost to own and operate a vehicle (includes the cost of fuel, maintenance, tires, insurance, license and registration fees, taxes, depreciation and finance charges associated with driving a typical sedan 15,000 miles annually), according to the American Automobile Association: $8,698

Amount a U.S. driver can expect to spend for each mile driven, nearly $725 per month, to cover the fixed and variable costs: 58 cents

Source: AAA.

Number of smokers in the world, according to the American Cancer Society: 1 billion

Number of cigarettes smoked annually: 5.8 trillion

Annual profits for the top six transnational tobacco companies (accounting for 85 percent of all cigarettes smoked globally): $44.1 billion

Source: American Cancer Society.

Percentage of American workers who report they are currently providing financial support (beyond their immediate household) to a relative or friend, according to the Employee Benefits Research Institute: 29

Percentage who provided unpaid care to help with the personal needs or household chores of a relative or friend: 23

Percentage who provide nine to 20 hours of unpaid care a week: 31

Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Percentage of CFOs who believe that other than compensation, a better benefits plan would top their employee wish lists, according to a survey by Accountemps: 41

Percentage who said more vacation days: 19

Percentage who said scheduling flexibility: 15

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of U.S. adults who believe the lower class pays too much in federal income taxes, according to a poll by Gallup: 45

Percentage who said the middle class pays too much tax: 46

Percentage who say corporations pay too little tax: 69

Source: Gallup Organization.

Percentage of U.S. workers who consider themselves overweight, according to CareerBuilder survey: 57

Percentage who say they have gained weight in their current jobs: 42

Percentage of workers with wellness benefits or gym access who say they don't use them: 63

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of worldwide respondents who are willing to order groceries online for delivery to the home, according to a Nielsen survey: 55

Percentage who are willing to order online and pick up at the store: 57

Source: Nielsen Media Research.

Percentage of American adults who are considering a trip to Cuba in the next two years, according to a poll completed by Airbnb and YouGov: 30

Percentage who say Cuba is more appealing because of policy changes by the U.S. government: 27

Source: Airbnb.

Percentage of consumers who say they would not buy a car without test-driving it first, according to a survey by auto.trader.com: 88

Percentage of people who say they would be willing to drive farther to visit a great salesperson: 73

Source: Auto Trader.com.

Percentage of teens (13- to 17-year-olds) who say they have (or have access to) a smartphone, according to a Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends: 75

Percentage of teens who say they use Facebook: 71

Percentage who use Instagram: 52

Percentage who use Snapchat: 41

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

Idle Thought

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." -- Michelangelo Buonarroti

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

Percentage by which India's economy will grow this year, surpassing China for the first time in 16 years, according to the IMF: 7.5

Number of habitations in India not connected to any major roadway, requiring the completion of 62,000 miles of road to connect them: 178,000

Source: Nielsen Insights.

Percentage of small-business owners who have used a credit card to fund their business, according to Cardhub: 37

Estimated amount the Credit Card Act of 2009 has saved consumers (it excluded small businesses) in late fees and over-limit fees, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: $3.5 billion

Source: CardHub.

Percentage of Americans who say hybrid and electric cars are here to stay and will become more affordable and more people will drive them, according to autopartswarehouse.com: 59

Percentage who say they will always be for trendy drivers: 8

Percentage who think they are a fad: 6

Source: mWEBB Communications.

Percentage of the world's population accounted for by the United States, according to Generation Opportunity: 5

Percentage of the world's prison population accounted for by the U.S.: 25

Percentage of the American population accounted for by African-Americans: 13

Percentage of the U.S. prison population accounted for by African-Americans: 40

Source: Generation Opportunity.

Number of bachelor's degrees expected to be conferred this year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics: 1.8 million

Number of associate degrees: 1 million

Ranks of accounting services, software publishing, and investment banking and securities dealing as the three highest-growth areas, according to IBISWorld: 1, 2, 3

Source: IBISWorld.

Percentage of American dog owners who say their pet has had a positive impact on their physical health, according to a survey by Packaged Facts: 74

Percentage who said their dog had a positive influence on their mental health: 77

Source: Packaged Facts.

Number of convenience stores in the U.S., according to the National Association of Convenience Stores: 152,794

Number of those that are run by single-store operators: 96,318

Percentage increase in year-over-year convenience store growth accounted for by single-store operators: 83.5

Source: National Association of Convenience Stores.

Number of countries to which a U.S. passport entitles a U.S. citizen to travel, according to GoEuro: 174

Number of countries to which a person holding a passport from Afghanistan can travel: 28

Number of countries a person from Iraq can visit: 31

Source: GoEuro.

Percentage of 16- to 18-year-olds who are working, according to the Institute of Family Studies: 30

Average annual income for these workers: $9,500

Percentage of households below the federal poverty line that moved above the poverty line as a result of income from children who dropped out of school: 42

Source: Institute of Family Studies.

Percentage of Americans who have a will or living trust document, according to a caring.com survey: 56

Percentage of adult children who don't know where their parents store their estate documents: 52

Source: Caring.com.

Idle Thought

"He that respects himself is safe from others; he wears a coat of mail that none can pierce." -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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

Percentage of Americans who say government economic policies since the Great Recession have helped large banks and financial institutions a great deal, according to a Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll: 45

Percentage who say they have helped the wealthy a great deal: 36

Percentage who say they have helped small businesses a great deal: 7

Percentage who say they have helped the middle class a great deal: 5

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

Percentage of Americans who say they will be ready to retire at age 65 or sooner, according to a Gallup Poll for CBS: 46

Percentage of Americans who said they would be ready to retire at age 65 or sooner 10 years ago: 67

Percentage who say they will have to work until their 70s: 28

Source: Gallup Organization.

Value of global digital music revenue, matching physical sales for the first time, according to the IFPI Digital Music Report: $6.9 billion

Value of the subscription segment of the digital revenue -- 23 percent of digital's total: $1.6 billion

Source: IFPI Digital Music Report.

On a scale of 1 to 5, score given by employees on the importance of having quality coffee available in the workplace and its effect on their productivity, according to a survey by Packaged Facts: 3.9

Amount Packaged Facts estimates that trips offsite for coffee could translate into in lost work time annually per daily coffee-drinking employee: $1,563

Source: Packaged Facts.

Estimated number of occupied housing units across the country heated by wood in 2013, which is 2.1 percent of all homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 2.4 million

Estimated number of occupied housing units across the country totally heated by solar energy in 2013: 50,235

Estimated number heated by utility gas in 2013, which is 49.1 percent of all homes: 56.8 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of hiring managers who indicated that they have asked a question in a job interview only to find out later that it was illegal to ask, according to a survey by CareerBuilder: 20

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Likely percentage of 18- to 29-year-olds who have never had a credit card, according to Bankrate: 33

Average age at which Americans say people should get their first credit card: 22

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of senior managers who think their company is effective in recognizing employees for good performance, according to a survey by Robert Half International: 89

Percentage of all workers who say their company isn't good at recognizing good workers: 30

Ranks of rewards, growth opportunities and praise as the most valued forms of recognition: 1, 2, 3

Source: Robert Half International.

Percentage of homeowners who plan to spend money on home improvements this year, according to an annual survey by LightStream: 57

Percentage who will spend more than $5,000: 35

Percentage who will spend more than $10,000: 18

Percentage who will pay for it with credit cards: 30

Source: LightStream.

Percentage of Americans who say they are familiar with the sharing economy, according to a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers: 44

Percentage who have tried the sharing economy firsthand: 19

Percentage who believe the sharing economy makes life more affordable: 86

Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Idle Thought

"The difference in mind between man and the higher animals, great as it is, certainly is one of degree and not of kind." -- Charles Darwin

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