Percentage of people losing sleep over their finances who reported taking at least one step to improve their financial situation over the past year, versus 54 percent of those who aren't losing sleep, according to Creditcards.com: 82

Ranks of reducing expenses, selling something, signing up for a new credit card and taking on a second job on the list of the most common actions the insomniacs took to improve their financial situation: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Creditcards.com.

Percentage of workers who are only somewhat satisfied with the benefits offered by their current employer, according to the "value of benefits" research by Employee Benefit Research Institute: 32

Percentage of employees who are extremely or very confident that their employer will continue to offer a similar benefits package three years from now: 49

Source: EBRI.

Age at which millennials think people should be able to pay for their own housing, according to a study from Bankrate.com: 22

Age at which they think they should pay for their own car: 20

Age at which they should pay for their own cellphone: 18

In all three cases, number of years earlier that millennials' average response is than the age baby boomers feel is appropriate: 1

Source: Bankrate.com.

Number of employees working in recyclable material merchant wholesale establishments, according to research by the U.S. Census Bureau: 113,090

Total annual sales for recyclable material from merchant wholesale establishments: $95.8 billion

Total annual sales for recyclable paper and paperboard products: $9.8 billion

Total annual sales for recyclable plastics products: $2.5 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who faked being sick to get out of doing something they do not want to do, according to a survey by Toluna: 59

Percentage who considered cheating on their taxes, thinking the chances of being caught by the government are slim: 30

Percentage who lied on a resume or job interview: 12

Source: Toluna QuickSurveys.

Percentage of parents who try to balance their children's technology use as it affects familial interactions by not allowing cellphones at the dinner table, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association: 32

Percentage of parents who say that regulating their child's screen time is a constant battle: 48

Percentage of parents who report feeling like their child is attached to their phone or tablet: 58

Percentage who say they feel disconnected from their families, even when they are together, because of technology: 45

Source: American Psychological Association.

Percentage of millennials who would stash an extra $1,000 in a savings account instead of the stock market, according to a TD Ameritrade survey: 77

Percentage of millennials who feel pressure to keep up with the spending habits of their friends: 24

Percentage who admit to spending money to make a good impression: 15

Source: TD Ameritrade.

Percentage of wedding guests who indicate that they have declined a wedding invitation because they felt they couldn't afford to go, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 21

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of teens who describe driving as somewhat or very stressful, according to a prom and graduation season survey by the National Safety Council: 60

Rank of car crashes on the list of causes of deaths among teens: 1

Percentage of teens who identified inexperience as the biggest risk while driving: 28

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of consumers who believe physical retail locations will be part of the shopping journey in the future, according to a survey from Tulip Retail: 64

Percentage of shoppers who said a knowledgeable store associate who is able to suggest products based on their purchase history would encourage them to shop in-store: 50

Source: Tulip Retail.

Idle Thought

"As a general truth, communities prosper and flourish, or droop and decline, in just the degree that they practice or neglect to practice the primary duties of justice and humanity." -- William Henry Seward, U.S. Secretary of State, 1861-1869

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

Percentage of business executives and CEOs with an average household income of $187,000 who say that golfing with a business associate is a good way to establish a close relationship, according to a survey conducted by Guideline Research & Consulting Inc.: 97

Percentage who say that it's a good way to make new business contacts: 92

Percentage of executives who say some of their biggest deals have been done on the golf course: 43

Source: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Percentage of working people who are seeking additional job training or certifications to move their career forward who say they are doing it to make more money: 53

Percentage who are eager to learn or are a seeking self-satisfaction: 40

Percentage who say they want to create a better life for their family: 38

Percentage who say they want to improve their resume: 35

Source: Toluna QuickSurveys.

Projected amount that consumers will spend on graduation gifts this year, according to the annual survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics: $5.6 billion

Percentage of respondents who will give cash as they seek to help students with the costly transition from high school to college, or college to the "real world": 53

Ranks of greeting cards (41 percent), gift cards (33 percent), apparel (16 percent) and electronics (11 percent) on the list of the most popular gifts: 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: NRF.

Percentage of security professionals who have used or still use birthdays, addresses, pet names or children names for their work passwords, according to a survey conducted Thycotic: 30

In 2016 alone, number of user credentials/passwords that were stolen -- 95 credentials and passwords stolen every second -- according to Thycotic and Cybersecurity Ventures' Password Report: 3 billion

Source: Thycotic.

Percentage of America's top math students who are involved in volunteer activities, according to a survey sponsored by the Moody's Foundation: 55

Percentage who eat healthy foods most of the time, while 24 percent prefer healthy foods but frequently eat fast food or junk food: 47

Percentage of respondents who said they are naturally interested in math: 51

Source: Moody's Economy.com.

Percentage of Americans who believe climate change is caused by human activity, according to the results of an Ipsos poll: 51

Percentage who believe it is caused by natural patterns: 31

Percentage who do not think climate change is really happening: 6

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of women who said "broken trust" is the best way to ruin a relationship, according to a survey commissioned by epi24: 61

Percentage who said "self-absorption" can also be a deal-breaker: 22

Source: epi24.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, rank of the peanut on the list of America's favorite snack nuts: 1

Whether roasted in the shell, used in salads and stir-fry recipe or in cookies, average number of pounds of shelled peanuts each American eats per year, about half in the form of peanut butter: 6

In 2014, value of the peanut export market: $450 million

Percentage that went to Canada: 22

Percentage that went to Mexico: 18

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who are planning to take a long weekend trip this summer, according to the Travelzoo summer survey: 74

Percentage of travelers who said they were likely to take more long weekend trips than they did last year: 56

Percentage of travelers who named visiting family and friends as their main reason to take a long weekend trip: 85

Source: Travelzoo.

Percentage rise in credit and debit card fraud alerts from two years ago, according to a CreditCards.com report: 15

Percentage of U.S. adults who have received a fraud alert regarding a credit card: 31

Source: Bankrate.com.

Idle Thought

"Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in." -- Bill Bradley

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

Percentage of college seniors who feel "very prepared" for their careers, according to the results of McGraw-Hill Education's fourth annual future workforce survey: 44

Ranks of a good work/life balance, attractive salary and benefits, and opportunities to learn and grow as a professional on the list of factors students said would make them feel most fulfilled in their careers: 1, 2, 3

Source: McGraw-Hill Education.

Percentage of global citizens who think their nation's economy is rigged to the advantage of the rich and powerful, according to Ipsos Global Trends 2017: 76

Percentage of Americans who agree: 78

Percentage of Mexicans who agree: 94

Percentage of Swedes who agree (the lowest percentage in the survey): 56

Source: Ipsos.

Percentage of small-business employees who are happy in their current job, according to an Aflac report: 84

Percentage who agree that most or all of their happiness in their current job is actually because they work for a small business: 48

Compared to working at a large company, percentage of employees who indicate that small businesses make them feel more appreciated: 67

Source: Aflac Inc.

Considered funny (by 52 percent of respondents), cool (28 percent) and unique (24 percent), rank of the GEICO Gecko as the most recognizable spokescharacter with an awareness score of 56, according to E-Poll Market Research: 1

Rank of GEICO's Caleb the Camel (56 percent) on the list of characters with the most appeal: 1

Source: E-Poll Market Research.

Annual amount of money spent by insurers and consumers on home health services (including home rehabilitation, skilled nursing, chronic therapy services, and hospice and palliative care), according to international research firm Parks Associates: $50 billion

Source: Parks Associates.

Percentage of teens -- a cohort that has seen an increase in fatal crashes -- who would use social media behind the wheel, according to research compiled through National Safety Council surveys: 35

Percentage of teens who feel their own distraction may have contributed to a crash: 17

Percentage who believe they can have up to three drinks before they are not safe or too impaired to drive: 71

Source: National Safety Council.

Number of Americans who are married or have a partner who keep all of their bank accounts separate, according to a new study from Bankrate.com: 22 million

Percentage of younger millennials who are most likely to opt for separate accounts: 37

Percentage of those making less than $30,000 per year who are most likely to opt for separate accounts: 35

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of luxury consumers (defined as those with $250,000 to $1 million in investable assets) in the United States, United Kingdom, India, United Arab Emirates and China, who are confident in the housing market in their respective countries and are ready to purchase a home within the next three years, according to Sotheby's International Realty: 85

Number of areas these consumers are most interested in (waterfront, metropolitan and historic homes): 3

Source: Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates.

Percentage of fitness-conscious Americans who would still work out even if they could be fit and healthy without doing so, according to a study conducted by Great Blue Research for Zoom: 76

Percentage of these fitness-conscious Americans who work out every day: 44

Percentage who work out four or more times a week: 48

Source: Zoom.

Percentage of Americans who say that mosquitoes limit their family's outdoor activities during the months they're most active, according to a Harris Poll: 85

Percentage of Americans who are concerned about protecting themselves and their family from Zika or other mosquito-borne illnesses: 66

Source: The Harris Poll.

Idle Thought

"Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom." -- Theodore Rubin, psychiatrist and writer

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