Projected amount that Americans are expected to spend on food for cookouts and picnics as they celebrate the Fourth of July this year, according to the annual survey by the National Retail Federation: $7.1 billion

Percentage of consumers who already own a U.S. flag: 65

Percentage who have patriotic-themed apparel, such as T-shirts, bathing suits or shoes: 53

Source: NRF.

Year of the first color television broadcast, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1951

By the end of 1957, number of U.S. households that had TV sets, of which only 150,000 were color units: 39 million

Year that sales of color sets caught up with black-and-white sets: 1970

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of the gasoline purchased in the United States that is sold by convenience stores, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of Convenience Stores: 80

Percentage of beer sales accounted for by convenience stores (factoring in all sales from convenience stores, grocers, drugstores and mass merchandisers, according to Nielsen): 59

Source: National Association of Convenience Stores.

Percentage of business executives who say they would let a client beat them in golf if they thought it would get them more business, according to a survey conducted by Guideline Research & Consulting Inc.: 20

Percentage who gamble while golfing: 87

Percentage of respondents who admit to cheating on the golf course: 82

Source: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Percentage of CFOs who said their offices maintain a somewhat or very casual dress code, according to a survey by Robert Half Finance & Accounting: 74

Percentage of CFOs who said business attire guidelines have relaxed over the last five years, compared to 16 percent who reported a more formal dress environment: 23

Source: Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

Percentage of Fourth of July shoppers who will pay for their expenses with their credit card, according to WalletHub's 4th of July Survey: 31

Percentage who will use a debit card: 43

Percentage who will pay with cash: 26

Source: WalletHub.

Ranks of Jillian Michaels, Stacy Keibler, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, on the list of the hottest celebrity women's summer beach bodies for 2017, according to E-Score: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of Jason Momoa, Shemat Moore, Dwayne Johnson and Channing Tatum on the list of the hottest celebrity men's summer beach bodies: 1, 2, 3 (tie)

Source: Epoll.

Percentage of Americans who would travel to a destination because of its cuisine, according to a survey by Open Table: 66

Percentage who have traveled to the country of origin of their favorite dish: 52

Percentage of travelers who "significantly" associate a destination's culture with its culinary scene and dining customs: 58

Source: OpenTable Inc.

Ranks of spicy, savory, sweet and fruity on the list of favorite flavors of salsa, according to a Garden Fresh Gourmet survey: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of Americans who are on "team chunky," versus 33 percent on "team blended": 67

Source: Garden Fresh Gourmet.

Percentage of mayors who agreed that pets can have a positive impact on people's mental and physical health, according to a survey of 73 respondents, representing 30 states, by Mars Petcare: 100

Percentage who agree that providing pet-friendly amenities can have an overall positive economic impact on their community: 82

Percentage who say they do not have, or aren't aware of, pet-friendly policies for public spaces such as restaurants and stores: 66

Source: Mars Petcare.

Idle Thought

"All the time a person is a child he is both a child and learning to be a parent. After he becomes a parent he becomes predominantly a parent reliving childhood." -- Benjamin Spock, pediatrician and author

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

Percentage of Americans who say that knowing someone's credit score would have an impact on their interest in dating them, according to a study from Bankrate.com: 42

Of those respondents, percentage who say that credit score has a major impact: 13

Percentage who say it would be a minor influence on their decision to date a person: 29

Percentage of women who say credit score would have a major influence on dating a potential partner: 20

Percentage of men who say the same: 7

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of global citizens who say their country does not prioritize the concerns of "people like me," according to Ipsos Global Trends 2017: 71

Percentage of U.S. citizens who say the same: 74

Percentage of global citizens who say they have a high level of trust in business, in general: 42

Percentage of Americans who agree: 46

Source: Ipsos.

Amount that U.S. consumers repaid in credit card debt during the first quarter of 2017, according to WalletHub, basing their conclusions on a Federal Reserve report: $31.5 billion

Percentage improvement in this first-quarter paydown relative to the same quarter last year: 14

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of workers surveyed by OfficeTeam who said they prefer more relaxed dress codes: 56

Percentage who also admitted they're at least sometimes unsure about whether a piece of clothing is office-appropriate: 41

Percentage who would rather wear a uniform to work than think about their outfits: 48

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of Americans in fitness routines who still made health or fitness-related resolutions this year, according to a study conducted by Great Blue Research for Zoom: 56

Percentage who report feeling energized/happy during or after a workout: 91

Percentage who said they feel that way before a workout: 5

Source: Zoom.

Amount of money an average 65-year-old couple today will need to cover out-of-pocket health care expenses in retirement, according to the Employee Benefits Research Institute: $265,000

Percentage of men over 65 who will require some form of long-term care, which is not covered by Medicare, according to a study from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College: 44

According to the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program, average cost for an assisted living facility per year: $47,064

Approximate cost per year for around-the-clock care in a semiprivate room at a nursing home: $91,615

Source: EBRI.

Percentage of pet parents who say a pet-friendly workplace is important to them, according to a survey from Wellness Natural Pet Food: 41

Percentage of pet parents whose company allows them to bring their pet to work on Wellness' annual Take Your Dog to Work Day: 56

Percentage of pet parents whose office celebrates Take Your Dog to Work Day who said they do not have official "petiquette rules" in place: 53

Source: Well Pet.

Percentage of the college students who have identified a career to pursue who feel prepared for the workforce, according to a McGraw-Hill survey: 33

Percentage who have identified a career, but do not feel prepared for the workforce: 15

Percentage of students who have identified a career to pursue: 76

Percentage who anticipate having a job within one year of graduation: 71

Source: McGraw-Hill Education.

Ranks of accomplished, productive and motivated on the list of ways employees say working in small businesses make them feel, according to Ipsos Global Trends 2017: 1, 2, 3

Although small businesses are fostering happy workplaces, percentage of workers who say that an improvement in their benefits offerings would make them happier: 72

Source: Aflac Inc.

Percentage of working Americans who believe that companies that sponsor volunteer activities offer a better overall working environment than those that do not, according to a survey by Deloitte: 89

Percentage of respondents who say that volunteer activities are more likely to boost employee morale than company-sponsored happy hours: 70

Source: Deloitte.

Idle Thought

"Neither great poverty nor great riches will hear reason." -- Henry Fielding, author

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

In the past 12 months, percentage of Americans who say that someone in their household has decided not to seek medical attention when it was needed due to the cost, according to a study from Bankrate.com: 25

Percentage of Americans who are worried that they might not have affordable health insurance in the future: 56

Ranks of Generation X (64 percent), baby boomers (58 percent), millennials (56 percent) and the silent generation (35 percent) on the list of those most concerned about affordable health care: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of job candidates who display negative body language during interviews, according to an OfficeTeam survey of senior managers: 30

Ranks of eye contact, facial expressions, posture, handshake, fidgeting/habitual movements and hand gestures on the list of the most telling nonverbal cues when meeting with applicants: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of Americans who are not very confident they would be able to achieve their financial goals if they were to get a divorce, according to a survey by Merrill Edge: 71

Percentage who are saving for that possibility: 5

Percentage who are not very confident they would be able to achieve their financial goals if they have children: 64

Percentage who are saving to have a family: 23

Source: Merrill Lynch.

Percentage of small businesses that have become more dependent on technology in the last three years, according to research by Techaisle: 83

Percentage of small businesses that find technology has become more complex, creating adoption inertia: 72

Percentage of respondents who are ignoring some technologies even though they may be useful: 61

Source: Techaisle.

Last year, average number of hours that Americans spent per month browsing their smartphone (compared to 66 hours in the U.K. and 52 in Spain), according to Deloitte's Global Mobile Consumer Survey: 87

Percentage of consumers who check their phones within five minutes of waking up: 40

Source: Deloitte Public Relations.

Percentage of parents who believe that busy schedules are a key barrier to active play, according to a survey commissioned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group: 70

Percentage of tweens who said they wished they had more time to be active and play sports: 50

Percentage of kids who consider gaming to be a part of playtime: 81

Source: Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

Ranks of "Wonder Woman," "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" on the list of the most anticipated 2017 summer blockbusters, according to a survey by Fandango: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of "Wonder Woman" fans who are excited to see a standalone female superhero movie: 92

Percentage of respondents who watched the "Wonder Woman" TV show when they were kids: 73

Source: Fandango.

Percentage of Americans whose travel plans are interrupted by illness and natural disasters alone, according to WalletHub's 2017 Travel Insurance Report: 16.6

Percentage of those impacted who have the necessary insurance: 22

Percentage of credit cards that provide travel accident insurance, with almost 38 percent offering more than $300,00 in coverage: 93

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of pet parents who say a pet-friendly workplace is important to them, according to a survey from Wellness Natural Pet Food: 41

Percentage of millennials who said that pet-friendly offices are important, compared with Generation X (31 percent) and baby boomers (33 percent): 52

Percentage of pet parents whose company allows them to bring their pet to work on Wellness' annual Take Your Dog to Work Day: 56

Source: Well Pet.

Percentage of U.S. car owners who perform an activity that requires a mobile or internet connection while driving, according to Parks Associates research: 92

In response to this consumer demand for in-car connectivity, estimated amount that U.S. automakers will spend for in-vehicle software in 2017: $10.8 billion

By 2022, projected amount they will spend: $16 billion

Source: Parks Associates.

Idle Thought

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer." -- Albert Einstein

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