oddities

Figuratively Speaking for May 18, 2018

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | May 18th, 2018

Percentage of U.S. workers who say the ability to work from anywhere at any time allows them to maintain a healthy work-life balance, according to the Randstad Workmonitor survey: 82

Percentage who still prefer to work in the office: 62

Percentage of workers who say they like the option of occasionally working from home or another location, but aren't able to do so: 66

Source: Randstad-USA.

Percentage of workers who said clothing choices affect a person's chances of earning a promotion, according to a survey by OfficeTeam: 86

Percentage of managers who agree: 80

Average time that professionals spend per day choosing their office attire: 11 minutes

Time taken by men in choosing their office attire, compared to nine minutes by women: 12 minutes

Time spent by employees ages 18 to 34, compared to those ages 35 to 54 (10 minutes) and 55 and older (seven minutes): 13 minutes

Source: OfficeTeam.

Total student loan debt in the United States, according to WalletHub: $1.38 trillion

Percentage of students who say credit card debt worries them more than student loan debt: 42

Percentage of college students who say their school is not doing enough to educate them about personal finance: 63

Source: WalletHub.

Average annual salary that 2018 college grads in the United States will make, according to a study by Korn Ferry: $50,390

Ranks of software developer ($67,236), engineer ($64,066), scientist/researcher ($60,177) and registered nurse ($54,454) on the list average starting salaries by career: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Korn Ferry International.

In 2017, percentage of American workers who had no paid vacation time whatsoever, according to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics: 27

After five years of service, number of paid vacation days the typical American worker received, compared to 25 legally required days in Scandinavian countries or the 30 days mandated in France: 15 to 19

Percentage who do not take all their vacation days for fear of looking replaceable, according to DataTrek Research: 61

Source: DataTrek Research/BLS.

Percentage of teachers who agree that public school teachers have a right to strike, according to a survey by Ipsos partnered with NPR: 82

In a concurrent survey, percentage of Americans who agree that public school teachers have a right to strike: 75

Percentage who believe public school teachers are paid fairly: 25

Over the course of their career, percentage of teachers who report having worked a second job to make ends meet: 59

Percentage who have run up debt to do the same: 46

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of workers who say they believe working 9 to 5 is an antiquated practice, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 63

Percentage who think start and end times should be flexible: 88

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of social media users who admit they use social media while on family vacations the same or more than usual, according to the Alamo Rent a Car survey: 37

Percentage who admit they could never unplug from social media during a family vacation: 16

Percentage who said they have seen the need to constantly check posts, texts and newsfeeds ruin a family vacation: 23

Percentage of people who say they wish they could take a vacation from social media: 43

Source: Alamo Rent A Car.

Ranks of exclusive (VIP) tour, private car and driver, custom culinary experiences, private villas or homes, and private beach or island on the 2018 list of top luxury experiences, according to findings from the annual travel trends survey conducted by Travel Leaders Group: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Travel Leaders.

Percentage of retirees who have increased their non-housing assets in the first 18 years following retirement, according to research by the Employee Benefit Research Institute: 33

During the first 18 years of retirement, average percentage decrease in the non-housing assets of pensioners: 4

Average percentage decrease for non-pensioners: 34

Source: EBRI.

Idle Thought

"You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do." -- Anne Lamott, writer

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for May 11, 2018

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | May 11th, 2018

Percentage of Americans who say they always or sometimes feel as though no one knows them well, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Cigna: 54

Percentage who report sometimes or always feeling alone or left out: 47

Percentage who say they lack companionship, that their relationships are not meaningful and that they are isolated from others: 43

Percentage who say they are no longer close to anyone: 39

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Ranks of "the seat kicker, bumper, grabber," "the aromatic passenger," "the inattentive parent," "personal space violators" and "the audio insensitive" on the list of the most irritating flight passengers, according to a survey by Expedia: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Expedia.

Percentage of U.S. consumers who believe personal finance should be a required course to graduate from high school, according to an Equifax survey: 90

Number of states that require high school students to take a course in personal finance, according to a 2018 study conducted by the Council for Economic Education: 17

Source: Equifax.

Percentage of Americans who desire a meaningful change in their lives, according to a survey conducted by Brant Menswar and Jim Trick, co-authors of the new book, "Rock 'N' Roll With It: Overcoming the Challenge of Change": 87

Ranks of discipline, money, fear and time on the list of greatest obstacles stopping people from making a change: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: "Rock 'N' Roll With It: Overcoming the Challenge of Change."

Percentage of employees who say a workplace where people are treated equally -- regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, race or religion -- is important to them, according to a survey by Randstad-USA: 78

Percentage of female workers who believe their employers could do more to promote gender equality and diversity: 56

Percentage of male workers who agree: 52

Source: Randstad-USA.

Estimated number of Americans who are planning a foreign trip this year, according to a report from WalletHub: 72 million

Percentage of credit cards that offer rental car insurance: 96

Percentage that offer travel accident insurance: 86

Percentage that offer a form of luggage insurance: 37

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of audiologists and speech-language pathologists who say the No. 1 barrier to early identification of communication disorders is lack of awareness about the warning signs among parents, according to a poll by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: 46

Percentage who say parents of young children are not aware of the early warning signs of speech and language disorders: 69

Percentage who say that, on average, the symptoms of hearing loss are going undetected in children for one year or longer: 32

Source: ASHA.

Percentage of Americans who would spend upwards of $20,000 on their kitchen remodel this season, according to a Delta Faucet survey: 25

Ranks of the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Mother's Day as the most kitchen-centric spring or summer holiday: 1, 2, 3

Source: Delta Faucet.

Percentage of homeowners who do not ever plan to move, according to a Bankrate.com report: 62

Percentage who plan on moving in the next half-decade: 21

Percentage who say they are likely to remodel, upgrade or add to their current home during that time: 35

Source: Bankrate.com.

Number of Americans who are affected by nasal allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and reported in a survey by FilterBuy, conducted by Radius Global Market Research: 50 million

Percentage of respondents who worry about the air they breathe in their home: 60

Source: FilterBuy.

Idle Thought

"Bad weather always looks worse through a window." -- Tom Lehrer, singer-songwriter and mathematician

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for May 04, 2018

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | May 4th, 2018

Estimated number of moms in the United States, according to research by Happyworker.com: 82.5 million

Average age of new moms: 25

Average age in 1970: 21

Number of children modern moms have, on average: 2

Number in 1950s: 3.5

Number in 1700s: 7 to 10

Percentage of moms with children over 1 year old who work: 72

Percentage in 1976: 39

Source: Happyworker.com.

Percentage increase in the average Wall Street bonus since 2009, according to figures from the New York State Comptroller: 31

Amount of the average Wall Street bonus in 2009: $140,620

Amount of the average Wall Street bonus in 2017: $184,220

Typical "tax reform bonus" received by taxpayers after passage of 2017 tax reform legislation: $1,000

Source: Institute for Policy Studies.

Percentage of the U.S. population who live in multigenerational households, according to Pew Research: 20 Number of Americans this represents: 64 million

Source: Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends.

Percentage of Americans who will celebrate Mother's Day, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics: 86

Total projected spending for this event: $23.1 billion

Average amount spent per person: $180

Source: NRF.

Percentage of Americans who find frequent flyer programs confusing, according to a study by NextAdvisor: 54

Percentage of frequent flyers who have let miles expire: 40

Percentage who don't know how many miles they have: 35

Percentage of Americans who say they are perplexed by credit card rewards plans: 44

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of U.S. consumers who use one to five passwords to access all of their online applications, according to a survey by The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company: 44

Percentage who use 11 to 20 passwords: 11

Percentage who use 21 to 50 passwords: 9

Percentage who use more than 50 passwords: 4

Source: Zogby International.

Percentage of U.S. women who prefer a man with facial hair, according to research by ORC International on behalf of Wahl: 58

Percentage who prefer a clean-shaven face: 42

Percentage of women who find facial hair attractive: 65

Percentage who describe men with facial hair as masculine or handsome: 57

Ranks of stubble and a well-groomed beard on the preference list: 1, 2

Source: ORC International.

Percentage of business owners who say Small Business Week does not actually help their business, according to survey by WalletHub: 89

Percentage of small business owners who say now is a good time for businesses to grow: 7

Percentage of small business owners who said access to a talented workforce is the most important factor for small business success: 38

Percentage who cited limited regulation: 25

Percentage who said low taxes: 21

Source: WalletHub.

In the United States, percentage of cannabis consumers who exercise at least once a week, compared to 70 percent of the American general population, according to the results from the third annual Cannabis Culture Poll: 73

Percentage of Americans who consume cannabis: 22

Estimated percentage of Americans who say they support medical legalization: 66

Source: Civilized Worldwide Inc.

Average number of minutes more sleep per school night students in grades seven and eight get when school starts at 8 a.m., rather than 7:20 a.m., according to a study by the Children's National Health System: 17

Number of hours that totals per school year: 51

According to state-level data, percentage of middle school students who skimp on receiving eight hours of sleep each night, even though nine hours of sleep is optimal: 38 to 53

Source: The Children's National Health System.

Idle Thought

"Kindness is always fashionable." -- Amelia Barr, novelist

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

Next up: More trusted advice from...

  • Investors: Are Your Teenagers Open to Financial Coaching?
  • Retiring? Your Tax Return Will Look Different
  • Dealing With a Bear Market
  • Crystals In My Ice Cream
  • Calamari and Cholesterol
  • Why So Many Carbs in My 'Sugar-Free' Candy?
  • Last Word in Astrology for July 06, 2022
  • Last Word in Astrology for July 05, 2022
  • Last Word in Astrology for July 04, 2022
UExpressLifeParentingHomePetsHealthAstrologyOdditiesA-Z
AboutContactSubmissionsTerms of ServicePrivacy Policy
©2022 Andrews McMeel Universal