oddities

Figuratively Speaking for August 17, 2018

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | August 17th, 2018

Percentage of U.S. families who say they sometimes feel pressured to post photos of their vacation on social media to show they're having a good time: 20

Percentage who admit they post their vacation photos on social media simply to show off the places they visited and the things they saw or did: 27

Source: Alamo Rent A Car.

When it comes to sexual harassment in the workplace, percentage of Americans who think men getting away with it is a major problem, according to a Pew Research Center survey: 50

Percentage who believe that employers firing men before finding out all the facts is a major problem: 34

Percentage who say women making false accusations is a major problem: 31

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

Ranks of anxiety "all the time" or "often," insecurity, and fear on the list of emotions caused by a shaky financial situation, according to research by Northwestern Mutual: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of Americans who said that financial anxiety makes them feel depressed at least monthly: 28

Source: Northwestern Mutual.

Percentage of Americans who admit they would feel better if they tried harder to stay fit, according to the MDVIP Fat IQ Survey, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs: 75

Percentage who say they lack motivation to stick with a diet or exercise plan: 58

Percentage who say they lack the willpower to resist food temptations: 55

Source: MDVIP Media Relations.

Percentage of those with a financial regret who say they have begun to address their biggest financial issue, according to a Bankrate.com report: 49

Percentage who say they have no plans to tackle the problem: 25

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of U.S. millennial travelers who rank a destination's cuisine as the biggest factor when deciding where to travel, according to a survey by Hotels.com: 60

Ranks of beautiful beaches (43 percent), the shopping scene (20 percent) and special offers (9 percent) on the list of other deciding factors: 2, 3, 4

Ranks of Paris (27 percent), Tokyo (23 percent) and Rome (22 percent) on the list of top "foodie" cities: 1, 2, 3

Source: Hotels.com

Percentage of American homeowners who say countertop clutter is the issue that causes the most stress, according to a new MasterBrand Cabinets home organization survey: 60

Percentage who say that stand-up mixers and other large appliances rank as the most-challenging-to-store kitchen item: 39

Percentage of those surveyed who believe "every item has to be in its proper space," compared to 42 percent who "store items wherever they can find room": 58

Source: MasterBrand Cabinets Inc.

Percentage of all global luxury shoppers who agree that they "only buy luxury when it is discounted," according to Affluent Perspective's Global Luxury Retail Report: 50

Percentage of the luxury discount-oriented group who grew up in an affluent household: 28

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of global respondents who agree it's not OK to be barefoot during a flight, according to an Expedia survey: 90

Percentage of Americans who said they always keep their shoes and socks on: 75

Source: Expedia.

Average hourly rate earned by electricians (high school diploma plus apprenticeship), according to CareerBuilder's new hot list of jobs that pay $20 or more per hour, are projected to grow over the next five years and don't require a college degree: $26.33

Average hourly rate earned by plumbers, pipe fitters and steamfitters (high school diploma plus apprenticeship): $25.76

Average hourly rate earned by computer user support specialists (some college): $25.50

Average hourly rate earned by heating, air conditioning, refrigeration mechanics and installers (post secondary non-degree award and on-the-job training): $22.39

Average hourly rate earned by chefs and head cooks (high school diploma and on-the-job training): $21.54

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Idle Thought

"I am now quite cured of seeking pleasure in society, be it country or town. A sensible man ought to find sufficient company in himself." -- Emily Bronte, novelist

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for August 10, 2018

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | August 10th, 2018

Percentage of Americans who practice meditation or mindfulness when they are stressed, according to the John Hancock mindfulness survey: 12

Of those who do, percentage who cite meditation and mindfulness as the most effective activity for managing their stress, ranked above listening to music, sleeping or exercising: 70

Source: John Hancock Life Insurance Company.

Percentage of Americans who report they've kissed between five and 10 people in their lives, according to data from YouGov Omnibus: 16

Percentage who said they've kissed more than 50 people: 15

Percentage who said they've never been kissed: 5

Percentage who have kissed only one person: 4

Percentage of people aged 18 to 24 who said that they have kissed zero people: 19

Source: YouGov. Contact Jennifer Abreu at 212 724 3040 or email Jennifer.Abreu@yougov.com.

Percentage of Americans who are saving their money for travel, surpassing saving for emergencies, retirement or purchasing a car or home, according to a poll by SunTrust Banks Inc.: 45

Ranks of building a nest egg, retirement and saving for "little splurges" on the list of reasons for saving: 2, 3, 4

Source: SunTrust Banks Inc.

Percentage of American adults who are married or in a serious relationship who said money caused the most stress on their relationship, according to a survey on behalf of Ally Bank: 36

Percentage of adults ages 18 to 54 who cited money as the top stressor, compared to 23 percent of adults ages 55 and older: 44

Source: Ally Financial.

Ranks of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Snapchat on the list of the social media platforms that Americans say most inspire them to travel, according to a survey by Allianz Global Assistance: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage who say that social media platforms do not inspire them to travel: 34

Percentage of women who say they are inspired by Pinterest: 25

Percentage of men who say the same: 12

Source: Allianz Global Assistance.

Percentage of workers who are nervous that their current role won't exist in five years due to technological changes, according to a survey conducted by Clutch: 15

Percentage of workers who are willing to learn new skills: 87

Percentage of businesses that have already implemented some form of automation, such as self-service kiosks, customer relationship management (CRM) software or tablets used for sales: 17

Source: Clutch.

Percentage of leaders of sales teams across several industries who, despite citing base pay as the top reason for turnover, do not plan to increase total compensation for their team members in 2018, according to a Korn/Ferry survey: 22

Percentage of sales team leaders who say they will lose roughly 10 to 20 percent of their staff annually: 30

Percentage who say they will lose between 20 and 30 percent of their staff: 15

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Percentage of U.S. full-time workers in sales, office and management/professional occupations who are actively seeking new job opportunities, according to a joint survey by recruitment firms Accounting Principals and Ajilon: 26

Percentage of respondents who are passively open to new job opportunities: 56

Source: Accounting Principals.

Percentage of U.S. employers who plan to hire full-time permanent workers in the second half of 2018, up from 60 percent last year, according to CareerBuilder's Midyear Job Forecast: 63

Percentage who plan to increase starting salaries on new job offers in the back half of 2018: 45

Percentage of all employers who plan to increase starting salaries by 5 percent or more: 23

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of consumers who have encountered an emergency expense in the past year, according to a CIT Bank survey: 48

Percentage who don't save anything: 25

Percentage who save less than 5 percent of their monthly income: 25

Source: CIT.

Idle Thought

"That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest." -- Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for August 03, 2018

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | August 3rd, 2018

Percentage of Americans who say the restaurant tipping sweet spot is 20 percent, according to a CreditCards.com report: 42

Percentage of respondents who typically leave 15 percent: 23

Percentage who say they usually leave nothing: 6

Source: CreditCards.com.

Percentage of Americans who said they feel tense or stressed out while on vacation, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association: 21

Percentage who said they wind up working more than they planned to: 28

Percentage who reported that they dread returning to work: 42

Source: American Psychological Association.

Percentage of global citizens who agree that everyone in their country enjoys the same basic human rights, according to a global Ipsos poll conducted in 28 countries: 43

Percentage of all adult respondents across 28 countries who say human rights aren't a problem in their country, ranging from 55 percent in Germany to 17 percent in Colombia: 30

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Ranks of Wyoming, North Carolina, Minnesota, Texas and Florida on the list of the best states for summer road trips, according to research by WalletHub: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii and New Mexico on the list of the worst states for summer road trips: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of Americans who said that their overall happiness would improve if their wardrobe and home interior were in sync, according to a survey by Trunk Club and CB2: 40

Percentage of respondents who say they can predict both wardrobe based on a home's interior design, and a home's interior design based on wardrobe at a moderate, high or very high degree: 72

Source: Trunk Club.

Ranks of munching delicious local delicacies on vacation, visiting landmarks and exploring the outdoors on the list of reasons American millennials give for deciding their vacation destination, according to a survey by Hotels.com: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of millennial U.S. travelers who admit they prefer to snap their food instead of their friends' faces for Instagram: 78

Of the average 128 photos that U.S. millennial travelers snap during a weeklong vacation, percentage that are of food: 15

Source: Hotels.com.

Percentage of professionals who take turns with their spouse to stay at home with the kids in the summer, according to a Korn/Ferry survey: 49

Percentage who are forced to take unexpected time off in the summer due to child care issues: 30

Percentage who say they occasionally bring their children to work to avoid day care dilemmas: 11

Percentage who say they work from home more in the summer: 26

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Percentage of millennials (18- to 37-year-olds) who say cash is the best place to park money they won't need for 10-plus years, according to a new Bankrate.com report: 30

Percentage of Americans aged 38 and over who agree: 21

Grouping all U.S. adults together, ranks of the stock market, cash investments, real estate, gold or other precious metals, and bonds on the list of the most popular places to park their money: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Bankrate.com.

Number of U.S. broadband households that currently own a product that helps them track their sleep quality, representing less than half of the nearly 60 million consumers who report having at least one sleep problem, according to sleep research from Parks Associates: 29 million

Percentage of U.S. broadband households that are interested in buying a sleep tech device: 51

Source: Parks Associates.

Percentage of Americans who declared they are either "not very likely" or "not at all likely" to use sharing economy services during their 2018 summer travels, according to an Allianz Travel Insurance survey: 53

Percentage of Americans who find sharing economy service providers to be "very" or "somewhat trustworthy," down 3 percent from last year: 62

Percentage who are familiar with at least one sharing economy service, with familiarity of services strongest among younger generations: 80

Source: Allianz Global Assistance USA.

Idle Thought

"I believe the greatest gift I can conceive of having from anyone is to be seen, heard, understood and touched by them. The greatest gift I can give is to see, hear, understand and touch another person." -- Virginia Satir, psychotherapist and author

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

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