oddities

Figuratively Speaking for June 09, 2017

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | June 9th, 2017

Percentage of U.S. adults who have financial regrets, according to a Bankrate.com report: 73

Ranks of "not saving for retirement early enough," "not saving enough for emergency expenses" and "taking on too much credit card debt" on the list of regrets: 1, 2, 3

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of global citizens who believe the primary role of women in society is to be good mothers and wives, according to an Ipsos Global Trends survey of 22 nations: 37

Percentage who disagree: 58

Number of countries that have a majority who agree -- Indonesia (76 percent), Russia (69 percent) and India (64 percent): 3

Percentage of Americans who agree: 41

Ranks of Sweden (78 percent) and Spain (77 percent) on the list of countries with the highest levels of disagreement: 1, 2

Source: Ipsos.

Percentage of Americans who say they clean out their car only once a season -- usually to clear out stuff like ice scrapers after the winter, or beach chairs and sand at the end of summer, according to Cumberland Farms survey: 34

Percentage who clean out their car only for other people, such as when they're going on a road trip with family or friends: 27

Source: Cumberland Farms.

Of employees who receive vacation/paid time off, percentage who report taking at least some time off in the last 12 months, up from 85 percent in 2014, according to a survey from Glassdoor: 91

Over the same time period, percentage who reported taking 100 percent of their eligible time off: 23

Percentage of employees who reported taking 25 percent or less of their eligible time: 23

Source: Glassdoor.com.

In a search for the geekiest bespectacled TV character of all time, percentage of respondents who voted Steve Urkel of "Family Matters" as the ultimate geek, according to research by GlassesUSA.com: 30

Ranks of "The Office's" Dwight Schrute and "The Big Bang Theory's" Amy Farrah Fowler on the list of the geekiest characters: 2, 3

Source: GlassesUSA.com.

Average amount Father's Day shoppers are expected to spend for the holiday, up from last year's $125.92, according to National Retail Federation's annual survey conducted by Prosper Insight & Analysis: $134.75

With 77 percent of consumers surveyed celebrating, projected total spending: $15.5 billion

Percentage of dads who would love to receive a "gift of experience" for Father's Day: 27

Percentage of shoppers who plan to grant that wish with gifts like tickets to a concert or a sporting event: 25

Source: NRF.

Percentage of the 2,000 full-time and part-time employees in the 14 industries surveyed by the National Safety Council who feel their employers prioritize productivity over safety: 36

Percentage of employees who feel management ignores a person's safety performance when determining promotions: 32

Percentage who say everyone is involved in solving job safety issues: 6

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of millennials (ages 18-34) who are looking to save a set amount of money or income necessary to enjoy their desired lifestyle, according to a survey by Merrill Edge: 63

Percentage of Gen Xers and baby boomers who are saving so they can leave the workforce: 55

Source: Merrill Corp.

Percentage of couples who say some of their guests hooked up during or after their wedding, according the results of The Knot's Real Weddings Study of U.S. brides and grooms: 19

Percentage of couples who reported that guests who met at their wedding are now in a committed relationship: 4

Percentage of brides who admit they got drunk at their wedding: 15

Percentage who say their groom got drunk as well: 18

Source: The Knot.

Year that the first criminal case in the United States resulted in conviction based predominantly on fingerprint evidence, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1911.

Year that the first-known criminal case in the world (in India) was solved by fingerprint matching, though the unique pattern of each person's fingerprints had been known since ancient China: 1898

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Idle Thought

"What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof." -- Christopher Hitchens, author and journalist

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for June 02, 2017

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | June 2nd, 2017

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.)

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for May 26, 2017

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | May 26th, 2017

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.)

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