Percentage of workers who have had to undergo training to keep or move forward in a position, according to a survey by Toluna: 71

Percentage of workers who will need to seek additional certifications, skills training or degrees to advance their careers at some point in the future: 73

Source: Toluna QuickSurveys.

Year that Hyman Lipman was granted a patent for a pencil with an incorporated rubber eraser that could be sharpened, as it protruded from the wood sheath at the end opposite the graphite, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1858

Despite all of our electronic marvels, number of pencils that are still produced globally every year: 14 billion

Estimated U.S. annual production: 2 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Cost to the IRS to collect $100 in federal revenue, according to research by WalletHub: 35 cents

Total time Americans spend on their taxes each year: 6 billion hours

Percentage of filers who get a refund each year: 70

Percentage of filers who would get an "IRS" tattoo for a tax-free future: 20

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of workers who indicated they'd leave their job if they didn't feel appreciated, according to a survey by OfficeTeam: 66

Percentage of senior managers who believe it's common for staff to quit due to a lack of recognition: 54

Source: OfficeTeam.

During the past year, percentage of Americans who donated time to a charitable cause, according to a survey by Toluna: 28

Percentage of respondents who have committed a random act of kindness for someone else (aka "paying it forward"): 60

Percentage who have paid for someone else's groceries when they didn't have enough money: 34

Source: Toluna QuickSurveys.

Average number of guests at a wedding in America, according to the results of The Knot study of U.S. brides and grooms: 141

Average number of bridesmaids: 5

Average number of groomsmen: 5

Source: The Knot.

When Americans were asked how they planned on spending their retirement, percentage who said "traveling," according to the Ipsos/USA Today retirement poll: 55

Percentage who said "spending more time with family": 54

Percentage who cited "volunteering": 35

Source: Ipsos.

Percentage of credit card holders who have never redeemed their credit card rewards, according to a Bankrate.com report: 31

Percentage who typically redeem their rewards points/miles frequently: 38

Ranks of cash back, airline tickets and gift cards on the list of the most popular redemptions: 1, 2, 3

Source: Bankrate.com.

Ranks of Holland, Michigan; Carbondale, Illinois; Springville, Utah; and East Chicago, Indiana, on WalletHub's list of the best small cities to start a business: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of millennials (18- to 34-year-olds) surveyed by CentSai who said they would choose a local lender, in contrast to recent Fannie Mae data showing approximately 69 percent of all homebuyers would apply for a mortgage online: 71

Percentage of millennials who said they would use a local real estate agent instead of an online agent: 75

Source: CentSai.

Idle Thought

"Don't ask me who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life." -- Giorgos Seferis, writer and Nobel laureate

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

On a first date, the percentage of singles who say that when dining out, they prefer a hearty meal, according to a poll conducted by Grubhub and Tinder: 62

Percentage who prefer a lighter meal: 38

Percentage of respondents who would rule out a second date if the other person didn't offer to pay: 36

Percentage who said it would not be an issue: 64

Source: GrubHub.

In spite of losing his position with Met Life, rank of Snoopy on the list of America's most-liked spokescharacters, according to E-Poll Market Research: 1

Rank of the Budweiser Clydesdales, Lily (from AT&T), Allstate Mayhem, Pillsbury Doughboy, Snuggle Bear on the list: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: E-Poll Market Research.

Percentage of U.S. consumers who say the top reason they unsubscribe from email is because they get too many emails in general, according to data released by MarketingSherpa: 26

Source: MarketingSherpa.

Year that the Library of Congress was founded, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1800

Estimated number of books in the Library of Congress: 38 million

Estimated number of libraries there are across the U.S.: 120,000

Estimated number of people who are employed full time by state and local libraries: 87,000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of U.S. broadband households that want to use voice to control their entertainment and smart home devices, according to research from Parks Associates: 55

Source: Parks Associates.

Percentage of American pet owners who indicated that their pet's nutrition is just as important as their family's nutrition, according to a survey from Open Farm: 94

Percentage who agree they pay as much attention to the ingredients that go into their pet's food as the ingredients their family eats: 84

Source: Open Farm.

Percentage of Americans who had been abroad in the past year who took their smartphone with them when they traveled, according to a survey by T-Mobile: 69

Percentage of respondents who said they'd rather lose their luggage than their phone: 55

Percentage who would give up a preferred seat on their flight before giving up their phones: 66

Rank of staying connected with family and friends back home on the list of reasons respondents gave for wanting to have their smartphone in hand: 1

Source: T-Mobile.

Percentage of Americans who use the three-syllable pronunciation of the word "caramel" (care-uh-muhl), according to a survey by Werthers to celebrate National Caramel Day: 57

Percentage who pronounce it as "kar-muhl": 43

Source: Ipsos Data.

Percentage of America's top math students who do their homework in a room by themselves, according to a survey sponsored by The Moody's Foundation: 84

Percentage of the students who spend more than 11 hours a week doing homework, while 29 percent spend six to 10 hours: 47

After school, percentage of the students who participate in extracurricular activities such as clubs and student government: 78

Source: Moody's (Economy.com).

Percentage of consumers who said they would be willing to shop at a new store if presented with a cash-back offer, according to a study by RetailMeNot: 33

Percentage who indicated they would be more willing to make a purchase with the ability to combine a coupon with a cash-back offer: 47

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Idle Thought

"No human being is illegal." -- Elie Wiesel

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

Projected spending for Easter this year, according to a survey by the National Retail Foundation: $18.4 billion

Amount consumers will spend on food: $5.8 billion

Amount on gifts: $2.9 billion

Amount on candy: $2.6 billion

Amount on flowers: $1.2 billion

Source: NRF.

Percentage of constant checkers of email or social media who say that political and cultural discussions on social media cause them stress, compared with 33 percent of non-constant checkers: 42

Percentage of constant checkers who say they worry about negative effects of social media on their physical and mental health, compared with 27 percent of people who don't check as often: 42

Percentage of Americans who agree that periodically "unplugging" or taking a "digital detox" is important for their mental health: 65

Source: American Psychological Association.

Rank of New Hampshire on the list of the best states to retire in, according to a Bankrate.com report: 1

Number of factors that were weighted (cost of living, health care quality, crime, cultural vitality, weather, taxes, senior citizens' well-being and the prevalence of other seniors): 8

Ranks of Colorado, Maine, Iowa and Minnesota on the list: 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Arizona, Florida and Nevada (popular retirement destinations) on the list: 12, 17 and 44

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of Americans who said they would perform five karaoke songs in front of their company if they could avoid paying their taxes, according to GoBankingRates.com: 32

Percentage who would go without Wi-Fi for one year: 18

Percentage who would have their credit score reduced by 50 points: 16

Percentage who would gain 20 pounds: 13

Source: GoBankingRates.com.

Percentage of drivers who believe it is safe to send a text either manually or via voice-dictation systems, according to research compiled through National Safety Council surveys: 47

Percentage who say they feel pressure from employers to check email while driving: 45

Percentage of drivers who say they have crashed in the last three years while they were either commuting or traveling for business: 44

Source: National Safety Council.

Estimated amount in U.S. federal income taxes that Fortune 500 corporations are avoiding by holding more than $2.6 trillion of "permanently reinvested" profits offshore, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy: $767 billion

In their latest annual financial reports, number of these corporations that reveal they have paid an income tax rate of 10 percent or less in countries where these profits are officially held: 29

Source: Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

Percentage of Americans who suffer from stress, according to a survey conducted by Youfit Health Clubs: 70

Percentage of respondents who agree that working out is beneficial for stress relief: 89

Percentage who report working out to be their preferred method of dealing with stress: 31

Source: Youfit Health Clubs.

Percentage of users who haven't changed their social network passwords in more than one year -- with 20 percent having never changed their passwords at all, according to a survey conducted by Thycotic: 53

Percentage of all cybersecurity attacks that involve a weak or stolen password: 80

Percentage of security professionals who have or still use birthdays, addresses, pets' names or children's names for their work passwords: 30

Source: Thycotic.

Year that the first professional fire department in the U.S. was established in Cincinnati, Ohio, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1853

Annual pay for a member of the company: $60

Annual pay for a lieutenant of the company: $100

Annual pay for a captain of the company: $150

Annual pay for the pump wagon driver: $365

Mean annual pay of a professional firefighter today: $41,000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have at least one of four major sleep disorders -- insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome or narcolepsy -- according to a Packaged Facts survey: 34

Annual economic cost of moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in the U.S. (greater than asthma, heart failure, stroke and hypertensive disease), according to a Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine study: $65 billion to $165 billion

Source: Packaged Facts.

Idle Thought

"A man who lies to himself, and believes his own lies, becomes unable to recognize truth, either in himself or in anyone else, and he ends up losing respect for himself and for others." -- Fyodor Dostoevsky, novelist

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