Percentage of luxury consumers who put a great deal of importance in staying on top of the latest technology trends, products and gadgets, according to findings released by LG Signature: 24

Percentage of luxury consumers in America who say the feeling they get while buying luxury products is better than sex: 41

Percentage of millennial respondents who say they associate "innovative" and "minimalist" with luxury more than they did five to 10 years ago: 67

Source: LG Signature.

Percentage of Americans who consider credit card debt to be enough reason to kick a potential partner to the curb, according to research from finder.com: 78

Average amount that is deemed unacceptable: $11,525

Percentage of Americans who say utilizing payday loans could render a person undateable: 78

Average payday loan amount that would be a deal-breaker: $1,830

Percentage of Americans who say student loans could make a person undateable: 76

Average student loan debt that would be a deal-breaker: $51,000

Ranks of medical bills (72.2 percent), home equity loans (71.25 percent) and business loans (70.9 percent) on the list of kinds of debts more willingly tolerated: 1, 2, 3

Source: finder.com.

Across the world, rank of figure skating on the list of the most popular Olympic events, according to an Ipsos Global Advisor study of 27 nations: 1

In the U.S., rank of hockey and snowboarding: 2, 3

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of boys who think it's more important for their parents to save for their college over their parents' retirement, compared with only 27 percent of girls, according to a T. Rowe Price survey: 45

Percentage of parents of both boys and girls who are saving for their kids' college rather than their own retirement: 53

Percentage of parents who agree with the statement, "I'd be willing to delay my retirement to pay for my kids' college education": 73

Source: T. Rowe Price.

Percentage of American 18- to 29-year-olds who admit they would rather upload a selfie than a picture with their loved ones, according to research from Hotels.com: 66

Percentage of U.S. young travelers who admitted to uploading pictures for bragging purposes while on vacation: 60

Percentage who check in at cool locations: 39

Percentage who track the amount of interaction on their posts: 32

Percentage who admitted they get anxious when their phone runs out of battery power on a trip, compared to just 8 percent who get anxious if they argue with their partner on a trip: 15

Source: Hotels.com.

Estimated amount that U.S. adults spent on gift cards in the last 12 months, according to Packaged Facts: $46 billion

Of this, amount that consumers spent on gift cards given to others: $28 billion

Amount they spent on gift cards they gave to themselves: $11 billion

Source: Packaged Facts.

When asked what their ultimate romantic vacation would be, percentage of respondents who chose a cruise to the Caribbean, according to a survey by Princess Cruises partnered with Wakefield Research: 55

Percentage of those surveyed who would opt to renew their vows at between 10 and 25 years of marriage: 51

Source: Princess Cruises.

Percentage of prospective homebuyers who would halt their home search if mortgage rates rose above 5 percent, according to a late 2017 survey commissioned by www.redfin.com: 6

Percentage who said that a 5 percent mortgage rate would cause them to slow their plans to buy: 27

Source: Redfin.

Percentage of consumers who won't use a home service professional again if they aren't technologically savvy, according to a survey commissioned by Verizon Telematics: 66

Percentage of service professionals across five industries (HVAC, construction, landscaping, plumbing and trucking/delivery) who recognize that technology adoption needs to be a top priority in order to ensure future business success: 70

Source: Verizontelematics.com.

Percentage of users of the SweetRing dating app who said they would like to limit their wedding costs to $20,000: 46

Percentage who would stay within a $15,000 limit: 28

Percentage who claimed they would rather save that money and travel to a foreign country: 10

Source: SweetRing.

Idle Thought

"He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have." -- Socrates, ancient philosopher

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

When workers were asked what the "American Dream" meant to them, percentage who said making enough money for me and my family to live comfortably, according to a survey by CareerBuilder that allowed multiple answers: 85

Percentage who said being able to help others: 48

Percentage who said seeing my ideas become a reality in business: 17

Percentage who said becoming a millionaire: 10

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of Americans who are concerned about contracting a new or particularly resilient strain of the flu this year, according to a survey conducted by Bradley Corp.: 60

Percentage who wave hello or use alternate greetings when they meet someone who is sick: 51

Percentage of respondents who make it a point to wash their hands more frequently to avoid getting germs or passing them on to others: 61

Source: Bradley Corp.

Amount the average person celebrating Valentine's Day has spent, according to the 2018 Valentine's Day spending survey by WalletHub: $143.56.

Percentage of people who said gift cards on Valentine's Day are the worst type of present: 21

Source: WalletHub.

Rank of "online" on the list of places where singles most often meet, according to a survey by Match.com: 1

Percentage of singles who have had a "friend with benefits" relationship: 55

Of these, percentage who have seen the relationship turn serious: 45

Percentage of singles who build a friendship first -- known as "hanging out," where they skip the sex and haven't gone out on an official first date: 40

Source: Match.com.

Rate that the average American worker gives his or her job satisfaction on a 10-point scale, according to a Bankrate.com survey: 7

Percentage of workers who gave a rating of 8 or higher, including 19 percent who awarded a perfect 10, vs. just 11 percent who said 3 or lower: 50

Source: Bankrate.com.

Amount of money the third-party debt collection industry returned to creditors in 2016, according to a survey conducted by Ernst and Young on behalf of ACA International: $67.6 billion

Number of people directly employed by third-party collection agencies with a payroll of $4.9 billion: 129,262

Source: ACA International.

Percentage of parents who spend more than $2,500 a year on sports, dance, arts and other extracurricular activities, according to a study commissioned by SunTrust Banks Inc.: 20

Percentage who spend more than $1,000 annually: 40

Source: SunTrust Banks Inc.

Percentage of Americans who said they have worked at a convenience store, according to a national survey conducted by the National Association of Convenience Stores: 19

Of these, percentage who said they worked at a convenience store while in high school: 24

Percentage who said said they worked at a convenience store while pursuing higher education: 29

Source: National Association of Convenience Stores.

Ranks of relaxing or finding peace of mind, discovering new cultures or enjoying a change of scenery, becoming closer as a family, and reading or learning new things on the list of reasons for vacation travel, according to a survey by M Group Strategic Communications for travel insurer Generali Global Assistance North America: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: M Group Strategic Communications.

Among Protestant and nondenominational American churchgoers, percentage who have provided foster care in the last year, according to LifeWay Research: 25

Percentage who have adopted a new child from the United States: 17

Percentage who have adopted a new child from another country: 15

Source: LifeWay Research.

Idle thought

"The best fighter is never angry." -- Lao Tzu, ancient Chinese philosopher

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

Percentage of the world's leaders and pioneer thinkers attending the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show who believe children are spending too much time with technology, according to a survey by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: 87

Percentage who feel today's popular technology is negatively impacting conversation and social interaction: 74

Percentage who said the industry is not doing enough to educate the public about responsible usage: 82

Source: ASHA.

Number of players with Super Bowl experience on the Philadelphia Eagles team entering this year's Super Bowl, according to an NFL release: 6

Number with experience for the New England Patriots: 32

Since 1970, win-loss record for teams with more players with Super Bowl experience (excludes three games where the teams were tied in experience): 22-22

Source: NFL.com.

Percentage of young vacationers (18 to 35 years old) who are now more likely to upload a sweaty workout selfie, a "welfie," than a sexy swimwear shot (10 percent): 16

Ranks of top-notch food, relaxing, sightseeing and alcohol on the list of sacrifices travelers are willing to make to get their fitness fix on vacation: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Hotels.com.

Average amount of money that is spent on pets for Valentine's Day, according to a study conducted by finder.com: $753.87 million

Average spend for dog gifts: $25

Average spend for cat gifts: $21

Source: finder.com.

Number of estimated viewers tuning in to watch the New England Patriots take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, according to the annual survey by Prosper Insights & Analytics: 188.5 million

Number of Americans who planned a Super Bowl party: 45 million

Number who planned to attend one: 69 million

Source: Prosper Insights & Analytics.

Percentage of city dwellers who expect to get purpose out of full- or part-time work at age 80 and beyond, according to a survey commissioned by Welltower: 20

Percentage who believe the aging population will create "silver economy" jobs and opportunities aimed at senior consumers: 60

Percentage of city dwellers who want to make new friends at age 80 and beyond: 80

Percentage of respondents who think it's important for them to live in a community with a diverse population, with "a mix of different age groups" as the top criterion: 84

Source: Welltower Inc.

Estimated number of prostitutes there are in the world, according to Foundation Scelles, as reported in Le Figaro: 40 to 42 million

Percentage of the world population of prostitutes who are female and range in age from 13 to 25: 80

Percentage of all prostitutes who are dependent on a pimp: 90

Source: ProCon.org.

Ranks of New York, California and New Jersey on the list of states that benefit most from immigration, according to WalletHub in its report 2018's Economic Impact of Immigration by State: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of Mississippi, Wyoming and Montana on the lit of states that benefit least: 1, 2, 3

Source: WalletHub.

Projected total spending for Valentine's Day, according to the National Retail Federation: $18.2 billion

Number of roses that are produced for the holiday, according to the Society of American Florists: 250 million

Projected amount that will be spent on chocolate and candy: $1.7 billion

Source: NRF.

Percentage of CFOs who have served as a mentor, according to a Robert Half management resources survey: 62

Of those who served as a mentor, percentage who said the greatest benefit is the opportunity to improve their own leadership skills: 38

Percentage who cited the internal satisfaction of helping others: 29

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Idle Thought

"Only the madman is absolutely sure." -- Robert Anton Wilson, novelist

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