Percentage of workers who say that the extra perk of half-day Fridays would make them more willing to join or stay with a company, according to a new CareerBuilder survey: 40

Percentage who said an onsite fitness center: 27

Percentage who said being able to wear jeans: 23

Percentage who cited daily catered lunches: 22

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

When asked to imagine their life in 20 years, percentage of Gen Xers who still see themselves traveling or vacationing, according to a study conducted by Ipsos on behalf of MDVIP: 67

Percentage who would pursue personal passions or hobbies: 59

Percentage who see themselves socializing with friends or actively meeting new people: 52

Percentage who believe that they will still be sexually active: 49

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of occupied housing units across the country primarily heated by wood, according to research by the U.S. Census Bureau: 2

Percentage of occupied housing units across the country using solar energy as their primary source of heat: 1

Percentage of occupied housing units across the country primarily heated by utility gas: 48

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of shoppers who believe they're more knowledgeable than retail store associates, according to a survey from Tulip Retail: 83

Percentage who say knowledgeable store associates are "important" or "very important": 79

Percentage of consumers who believe physical retail locations will be part of the shopping journey in the future: 64

Source: Tulip Retail.

Percentage of employees who browse Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets while at work, according to a poll conducted by ComPsych Corp.: 78

When employees were asked how many times a day they checked their social media, percentage who selected "0 times per day": 12

Percentage who selected "1-5 times per day": 60

Source: ComPsych.

Percentage of today's workforce that has been unable to progress in their careers due to a lack of skills, training or certifications, according to a survey commissioned by Wyzant and Recruiter.com: 48

Percentage of workers who feel that opportunities for advancement in their industry are simply passing them by: 67

Percentage who say that if access to professional training and education were not an issue, they would prefer to work in another industry: 61

Source: Toluna QuickSurveys.

Percentage of CIOs who said their companies are early adopters of technology, according to research from Robert Half Technology and The Creative Group: 17

Percentage of technology executives who agreed it's at least somewhat important for leaders in their department to try out technical innovations: 94

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Ranks of print ads in newspapers and magazines, TV ads, direct mail and online pop-ups on the list of the most trusted advertising channel when consumers are making a purchase decision, according to Marketing Sherpa: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: MarketingSherpa.

Percentage of employed adults across the globe who value their job over a good night's sleep, according to the results of an international survey conducted for Philips: 10

Percentage who say that some things (including spending time with their spouse or partner, family, friends and job) takes precedence over a good night's sleep: 80

Source: Philips Sleep and Respiratory Care.

Percentage of BarkHappy app users who feed their dogs dry food vs. other types such as canned or wet food, according to a survey by BarkHappy: 60

Percentage of dog owners who feed their pets table scraps or bites of their own food, according to a survey by BarkHappy: 60

Source: BarkHappy.

Idle Thought

"Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law." -- Douglas Hofstadter, Professor of cognitive science

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

During 2016, amount of credit debt racked up by U.S. consumers, pushing outstanding balances to $978.9 billion, according to research by WalletHub, based on Federal Reserve data: $89.2 billion

Amount that the average indebted household now owes: $8,377

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of workers who feel they do not get enough sleep each night, according to a new survey from CareerBuilder: 26

Percentage of all workers who say that a lack of sleep has negatively impacted their work: 60

Percentage who say thinking about work keeps them up at night: 47

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Year that the first practical automatic dishwasher was born (designed by Josephine Cochrane, a socialite, out of annoyance at how her domestic staff damaged her china), according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1839

Year that a patent was awarded: 1886

Today, of the nation's nearly 133 million housing units, number that have automatic dishwashers: 87 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

When dining with family, percentage of families who say they have a no cellphone policy at the table, according to a survey by Toluna: 50

When dining with friends, percentage who have a no cellphone policy at the table: 39

Percentage of Americans who have blocked family or a friend on social media without their knowledge: 44

Source: Toluna QuickSurveys.

Percentage of women who believe that communication is the most important thing in a relationship, according to a survey commissioned by epi24: 72

Percentage who said having fun together: 11

Percentage who said sexual attraction: 2

Source: epi24.

Percentage of Americans who plan to look for a better-paying job and increase overall savings over the next four years, according to an Experian survey: 43

Percentage who said they will decrease their spending: 39

Source: Experian Consumer Direct.

Percentage of IT executives who understand that the pace of IT change and transformation is increasing, according to the results of a survey by BMC: 86

Percentage of respondents who state that the share of IT budget spent on ongoing management and maintenance is growing: 55

Source: BMC.

Percentage of U.S. employers who are feeling the direct impact of prescription drug misuse in their workplaces, according to a survey by the National Safety Council: 71

Percentage of employers who agree that prescription drug misuse is a disease that requires treatment: 71

Percentage who feel it is a justifiable reason to fire an employee: 65

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of Americans who believe the average person should be taking concrete steps to reduce his or her environmental impact, according to a survey conducted by Knoxville-based Shelton Group: 90

Percentage who think that personal energy conservation habits can make a real difference in preventing climate change: 67

Percentage of Americans who correctly identified the No. 1 manmade cause of climate change -- the energy we use in our homes: 6

Source: Shelton Group.

Idle Thought

"Success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." -- Winston Churchill

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

Cost to get married in Manhattan, New York -- the most expensive place in the United States, according to the results of a study of U.S. brides and grooms by The Knot: $78,464

Cost to get married in Arkansas -- the least expensive place to get married: $19,522

Source: The Knot.

Estimated number of prime-age men in the United States who are no longer in the labor force, according to federal data reported by Novus Medical Detox Center: 7 million

Percentage of those not in the labor force who say pain prevents them from working a full-time job: 40

Percentage who take some type of pain medication, with a majority using prescription medication: 50

Percentage of labor force participation among men aged 25 to 54 in January 1948: 96.7

Percentage of participation in September 2016: 88.6

Source: Novus Medical Detox Center.

Percentage of high school students who pick their career based on something they saw on TV or in a movie, according to CareerBuilder research: 25

Percentage of full-time workers who regret the college major they chose: 33

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of women who are "very confident" in their ability to fully retire with a comfortable lifestyle, according to research by the Trans America Center for Retirement Studies: 10

Percentage of women who plan to retire after age 65: 40

Source: Trans America Center for Retirement Studies.

Percentage of American adults (and 91 percent of teens) who say say they have heard another person call someone a retard, according to a Harris Poll: 92

Percentage of adults (and 47 percent of teens) who say they have heard the derogatory phrase directed toward a person who has an intellectual disability: 56

Percentage of adults (and 27 percent of teens) who say there's nothing wrong with using the word "retarded" to describe a thing or situation: 38

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of senior managers who said their employer organizes activities tied to sporting events like March Madness, according to research by OfficeTeam: 23

Among those firms that do get into the games, percentage of managers who say the top benefit is showing that the company supports a healthy blend of work and play: 39

Percentage who say it builds camaraderie among colleagues: 37

Percentage of employees who report celebrating sports events with office buddies: 53

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of consumers who are expecting a tax refund this season, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation: 66

Percentage of those who will spend their refunds on everyday expenses: 21

Percentage who will use them for major purchases, such as a television, furniture or a car: 9

Percentage who will splurge on special treats like dining out, apparel or spa visits: 8

Source: NRF.

Percentage of the world's population that is made up of young people (16- to 24-year-olds), according to the findings of the Citi/Ipsos Global Survey: 16

Number of people this represents: 1.2 billion

Percentage of young people in developing markets who believe they will find opportunities to succeed in their preferred career, compared to 64 percent of their counterparts in developed markets: 79

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Year that the Massachusetts Bay Colony issued paper money (in the form of promissory notes from governing bodies) due to the shortage of coins, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1690

Year that Congress passed the Legal Tender Act, fixing paper money as a means of paying the government's considerable Civil War bills with something other than gold or silver: 1862

Current estimate of the amount of U.S. currency circulating in the United States and the world: $1.5 trillion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of homeowners who are planning to spend money on home improvement projects in 2017, according to a survey by LightStream: 59

Ranks of outdoor projects, home repairs/technology, bathroom updates and kitchen remodels on the list of the top four projects: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: SunTrust Banks Inc.

Idle Thought

"A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money." -- W.C. Fields

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