Percentage of side hustlers (those who have a job on the side) who do it at least monthly, according to a Bankrate.com report: 86

Percentage of those who earn more than an additional $500 per month doing so: 36

Of those who earn money on the side, percentage who use the extra cash to help pay for expenses, rather than as disposable income for other things: 54

Source: Bankrate.com.

Projected total spending for all school and college supplies combined, according to the National Retail Federation's annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics: $83.6 billion

Average amount that families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend: $687.72

Source: NRF.

Percentage of workers who said they know someone who included false information on a resume, a 25-point jump from a 2011 survey, according to an OfficeTeam survey: 46

Ranks of job experience and duties on the list of the areas most frequently embellished: 1, 2

Percentage of senior managers who suspect candidates often stretch the truth on resumes: 53

Source: OfficeTeam.

Ranks of Utah, Iowa, South Carolina, Washington and Nebraska on the list of the best states in which to grow old, according to a Caring.com study with emphasis on financial, health care and quality-of-life categories focused on senior care: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Wyoming, North Dakota, New York, Indiana and West Virginia on the list of the worst states: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Caring.com.

Percentage of Americans who say no amount of money -- not even $10,000 -- makes up for getting bumped from a flight, according to a new survey from PolicyGenius.com: 20.7

Percentage who said they required between $2,000 and $10,000 to feel compensated for the inconvenience: 49

Percentage who said any amount below $2,000 wasn't worth the hassle: 70

Source: PolicyGenius.

Percentage of the U.S. general population who could name a food or nutrient associated with their most desired health benefit, according to research by the International Food Information Council: 44

Percentage of "foodies" -- defined as someone who sacrifices convenience and cost in search of a quality product -- who were able to do so: 60

Source: IFIC.

Percentage of Americans who report they aren't getting the sleep they need, according to the results of a survey by Wakefield Research for Princess Cruises: 49

Percentage who say they don't set aside time to relax each day: 78

Source: Princess Cruises.

Percentage of consumers who use their personal smartphones to conduct business, according to research by Strategy Analytics: 50.4

Percentage of business users who utilize their personal smartphone over 50 percent of the time to conduct business: 20.5

Percentage of business users who are compensated by their employer for their network wireless operator charges: 20.8

Source: Strategy Analytics.

Percentage of homebuyers who would be willing to sacrifice a larger house to gain a larger yard, according to a 2017 consumer survey conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Taylor Morrison: 56

Rank of "distance from neighboring homes" on the list of the most important exterior features of a home: 1

Source: Taylor Morrison.

Percentage of American consumers who believe seafood is important to their health and nutrition, according to a 2017 Cargill Feed4Thought consumer survey: 72

Percentage who are willing to pay more for seafood that is certified as sustainably and responsibly sourced: 88

Percentage who are adding salmon, shrimp and tilapia to their lunch and dinner plates: 82

Source: Cargill.

Idle Thought

"We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don't like?" -- Jean Cocteau, author and painter

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

Percentage of hotel customers who always tip their housekeeper (31 percent never do), according to a survey by creditcards.com: 27

Percentage of coffee shop patrons who always tip their barista (30 percent never do): 29

Percentage who always tip their hairstylist/barber (12 percent never do): 67

Source: creditcards.com.

Percentage of Americans who are married or living with a partner who admit to arguing over finances, according to a study on money and relationships from TheCashlorette.com: 48

Percentage of those in serious relationships who confess to arguing about money and say either one person is spending too much or one person is being too frugal: 60

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of parents who say back-to-school shopping for their children stresses them out, according to a survey by RetailMeNot and Kelton Global: 91

Ranks of money, finding the best deals and setting a budget on the list of stressors: 1, 2, 3

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of government workers (local, state and federal) in Pennsylvania, the lowest in the country (Alaska has the nation's highest percentage at 25.1 percent), according to information from WalletHub: 10.8

Percentage of residents below the poverty line in New Hampshire, the lowest (Mississippi has the highest at 22.5 percent): 8.9

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of the 4 million people globally who are dying from health problems linked to being overweight who are not yet obese, highlighting that deaths are occurring almost as often in those considered overweight as those considered obese, according to a study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington: 40

Source: CNN Money.

Percentage of young people who are far less optimistic about their ability to afford a home relative to their parents at their age, according to the findings of a Citi/Ipsos Global Survey: 57

Globally, percentage of young people who believe that a university education is needed to be successful: 67

Percentage who see education as beyond their financial means: 69

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs CJ.

Percentage of companies that do not offer corporate retreats -- offsite events where employees, commonly executives, meet to discuss the business -- according to a survey by Robert Half Management Resources: 80

Percentage of CFOs who said the greatest single benefit of retreats is that they increase teamwork and morale: 40

Percentage who said these meetings provide an environment that stimulates new ideas and perspectives: 20

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Percentage of U.S. seniors who desire independent living at home with ease and convenience, according to research by Parks Associates: 60

Ranks of "living with independence and assurance," "living a healthy life minimizing the impact of illness and disease," and "living with ease and convenience" on the list of the most important aspects of their retirement, as cited by senior citizens: 1, 2, 3

Source: Parks Associates.

Percentage of professionals and executives who said the autumn of a college student's senior year is the best time to recruit top candidates, according to a survey conducted by Korn Ferry: 64

Percentage of respondents who said a college degree is a firm prerequisite for hiring professionals in their organization: 67

Source: Korn Ferry International.

Idle Thought

"Shadow owes its birth to light." -- John Gay, poet and dramatist (1685-1732)

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

Percentage of CIOs who still think email will be the most common way to communicate internally through 2020, according to respondents in two surveys conducted by Robert Half Technology: 79

Percentage of office workers who agree: 53

Ranks of in-person meetings, email, instant messaging and phone calls on the list of communication channels most effective for planning, strategizing and follow-up, as cited by office workers from various industries and roles: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Percentage of women who would consider a partner's credit score a major influence in a potential relationship, according to a study from Bankrate.com: 20

Percentage of men who said the same: 7

Percentage of Americans who think credit scores are never an important factor in a relationship: 19

Percentage of respondents who believe in waiting until after dating a few months to divulge their personal finances: 37

Source: Bankrate.com.

Ranks of credit card debt, overeating, social media and bad credit on the list of things people would like to declare independence from, according to WalletHub: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of Americans who think the government tracks our credit card spending: 47

Source: WalletHub.

Among more than 18,000 citizens from 25 countries, percentage who rated the influence of the U.S. on world affairs as positive (a drop from 64 percent in October), according to an Ipsos survey: 40

Ranks of Canada (81 percent), Australia (79 percent), Germany (67 percent), the United Nations (64 percent), France (59 percent) and the European Union (57 percent) on the list of countries and groups of nations rated by global citizens as having a positive influence on world affairs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Ipsos Global Public Affairs.

Percentage of home cooks for whom internet food and recipe sites have grown to become the top recipe source, according to a survey by the Meredith Corp. on behalf of Allrecipes.com: 58

Percentage of digital home cooks who trade recipes: 75

Percentage of home cooks who report planning most meals the same day as the meal (up 10 percent from 1999): 63

Source: Meredith Corp.

Percentage of Americans who support medical aid in dying, including 55 percent of weekly churchgoers and 60 percent of conservatives, according to a Gallup poll: 73

Source: Gallup Organization.

Rank of toys on the list of the largest durable dog and cat pet care categories with sales crossing the $1 billion threshold in 2016, according to Packaged Facts: 1

Percentage share of sales accounted for by dogs: 75

Percentage of dog owners who agree they enjoy pampering their pet with new toys: 88

Source: Packaged Facts.

Percentage of manufacturers who said they are more optimistic about the U.S. economy compared to last year, according to the 2017 Manufacturing Report from professional services firm Sikich LLP: 66

Percentage of respondents who claim addressing workforce challenges is a top priority: 49

Percentage of companies that conduct IT risk assessments: 63

Source: Sikich.

Percentage of Americans who make at least one or more common mistakes when cleansing their face, according to a national survey by CeraVe: 80

Percentage of consumers who report they feel uninformed about proper skin cleansing methods: 60

Percentage of consumers (66 percent of men and nearly 40 percent of women) who use bath wash or hand soap to cleanse their face: 52

Percentage who use only water: 35

Source: CeraVe.

Idle Thought

"A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author

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