Percentage of Americans who have moved less in the last few years due to increased screen time, according to a survey on behalf of Swiss Life Science Group Zaluvida: 88

Percentage who blame their weight gain on on-demand meal delivery, ride-sharing services or shopping apps: 80

Percentage of adults who are actively trying to lose weight, but only three in 10 of them are confident they'll be able to achieve it: 40

Source: Zaluvida Corporate AG.

For the eighth year in a row, percentage median base salary increase U.S. employees can expect to see in 2019, according to new research released by Korn Ferry: 3

Rise in the overall Consumer Price Index during the last 12 months, virtually negating any real wage growth, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: 2.9

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Percentage of college seniors (and 93 percent of recent graduates) who reported looking forward to the next chapter in their lives, according to a white paper produced by the University of Massachusetts Medical School Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research (Transitions ACR), the Jed Foundation: 89

Percentage of college seniors who feel pressure to succeed in the professional world: 85

Among college seniors who feel any stress, percentage who cited "how much is unknown for the next few years" as a source of stress: 73

Source: Jed Foundation.

Percentage of self-proclaimed college football fans who are willing to give up something to save for tickets, lodging, tailgating, team merchandise and other activities, according to a SunTrust survey: 72

When asked the trade-offs they are willing to make to pay for one season of college football activities/items, percentage of fans who would cut back on eating out once a week: 48

Percentage who would forgo their gym membership: 33

Source: SunTrust Banks, Inc.

Percentage of retirement plan participants who indicated they are paying toward a student loan for themselves or on behalf of someone else, according to a new OneAmerica survey: 38

Of those, percentage of respondents paying toward student loans who reported that their obligation to repay the funds is impacting their ability to prepare for retirement: 85

Of that group, percentage who said student loans are having a "significant impact" on their ability to prepare for retirement: 38

Source: OneAmerica.

Number of people who believe that getting one of the new iPhones launching Sept. 12 is worth going into debt, according to WalletHub's 2018 Credit Score and iPhone Survey: 28 million

Number of times more that millennials say the new iPhone is worth going into debt for than baby boomers: 5

Source: WalletHub.

Number of times more likely that Americans suffering from a "vacation deficit" are to show signs of moderately severe to severe depression compared to the national average, according to the 10th annual Allianz Global Assistance Vacation Confidence Index: 2

Percentage of Americans with a vacation deficit who demonstrate symptoms of mild to moderate depression: 30

Source: Allianz Global Assistance USA.

Percentage of Americans who are familiar with recent efforts to ban plastic straws in places across America, according to an Ipsos/Buzzfeed poll: 78

Despite this, percentage of Americans who would prefer to always receive a plastic drinking straw when they order a beverage at a fast food restaurant: 59

Percentage who would prefer to always receive one at a sit-down restaurant: 50

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs CJ.

Percentage of IT hiring decision-makers who plan to expand the size of their teams between now and the end of the year, according to Robert Half Technology's latest research on the state of tech hiring: 60

Ranks of Miami, Detroit, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Charlotte, North Carolina, on the list of the top cities where companies plan to staff up their tech teams: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of cybersecurity and cloud security, cloud computing and cloud architecture on the list of the most desired areas of expertise: 1 (tie), 3, 4

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Of college students who likely had housing, groceries, insurance and cable paid for them, percentage who said the biggest financial surprise they experienced was how much things cost, according to a poll for Ally Bank: 57

Percentage of students who indicated they had a budget while in college: 90

Source: Ally Financial.

Idle Thought

"Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion." -- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, philosopher

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

Percentage of all households in America that grow food at home or in community gardens, according to a Global Wellness report: 35

Estimated number of younger households (ages 35 and under) that grow food, up 63 percent since 2008: 13 million

Source: Global Wellness Institute.

Percentage of HR managers who said it's common for their company to offer employees promotions without salary increases, up from 22 percent in 2011, according to research by Office Team: 39

Percentage of workers who reported they'd be willing to accept an advanced title that doesn't include a raise: 64

Percentage of male employees who are open to accepting a promotion without a salary increase (compared to 55 percent of women): 72

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of older millennials (ages 28 to 37) who lose sleep over things like money, work and relationships, the most of any age group, according to a new Bankrate.com report: 77

Percentage of older millennials who say that money has caused restless nights (more than any age range): 43

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of U.S. full-time workers in sales, office and management/professional occupations who think one to two years is the appropriate length of time to stay at a new job before looking for a new position, according to a joint survey by recruitment firms Accounting Principals and Ajilon: 59

Rank of salary on the list of the most important factors that respondents consider when deciding to accept a job offer: 1

Percentage who state the top reason that keeps them from quitting their job is the loyalty they feel to their team, boss, co-workers or their company: 53.6

Percentage who would quit their job or start trying to find another job due to a bad manager or boss: 32.5

Source: Accounting Principals.

Percentage of fitness-conscious Americans who would still work out even if they could be fit and healthy without doing so, according to a study commissioned by Zoom: 84

Percentage of respondents who cited an improved mental state/stress relief as a top reason they work out: 75

Source: Zoom.

Percentage of IT hiring decision-makers who admitted to making a bad hire, according to research from Robert Half Technology: 95

Whether they're recruiting for a "purple squirrel," "unicorn" or "rock star," percentage of tech hiring managers who acknowledged the bad hire was due to a skills-based issue, meaning the new hire was unable to do the job as expected: 38

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Percentage of women professionals who said they've missed a promotion or an opportunity simply because they're female, according to a Korn/Ferry survey: 40

Ranks of the pay gap (42 percent) and the glass ceiling (25 percent) on the list of the most important issues/career challenges endured by women in the workplace: 1, 2

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Percentage of Americans who are getting fewer than six hours of sleep nightly, citing general stress, family concerns and financial worries as the top three things preventing them from falling asleep, according to the John Hancock Mindfulness Survey: 45

Source: John Hancock Life Insurance Co.

Ranks of Orlando, Florida; Scottsdale, Arizona; Tampa, Florida; Denver; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on the list of the best places for a comfortable retirement without breaking the bank, according to WalletHub: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: WalletHub.

When it comes to different modes of transportation, percentage of Americans who rate air transportation (e.g., commercial airline flights) as being among the safest ways to travel, according to the findings from an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of the Air Line Pilots Association: 89

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Idle Thought

"Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well -warmed and well-fed." -- Herman Melville

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

Ranks of relevant experience, assessing soft skills, corporate culture fit and evaluating technical skills on the list of the top reasons employers interview job candidates, according to a survey of senior managers by Robert Half: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of a lack of technical abilities and soft skills on the list of the common reasons new hires don't work out: 1, 2

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of professionals who say they have argued with their spouse about being too connected to work while on vacation, according to a Korn/Ferry survey: 50

Percentage of respondents who say they check in with the office multiple times a day: 48

Percentage who say they do so once a day: 31

Percentage who say they never check in while on vacation: 2

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Percentage of college-going families who believe they are getting a good value for the price they're paying for college, according to a survey for Sallie Mae: 66

Percentage who report they are paying a fair price: 36

Percentage who say they're getting somewhat of a bargain: 10

Percentage who believe the education is worth every penny: 20

Source: Sallie Mae.

Percentage of Americans who have driven in at least 25 states, according to research by WalletHub: 25

Ranks of California and Texas on the list of the most popular picks as the best state to drive in: 1, 2

Source: WalletHub.

Typical annual cost to a student from a lower-income family (less than $50,000) after being accepted to an elite college, according to a survey of the top 30 colleges by The New York Times: $6,000

Annual cost for those students from the middle-class (family income in the $50,000 to $120,000 range): $16,000

Annual cost for those students from an upper-middle-class to affluent background: $60,000 plus

Source: Ameritech Financial.

With 19 million college students heading off to colleges and universities in the coming weeks, amount that retailers can expect parents to spend to get their students settled in, according to Deloitte's 2018 Back-to-College Survey of parents: $25.5 billion

Percentage of back-to-college sales that are expected to be accounted for by brick-and-mortar stores: 54

Source: Deloitte.

Projected total back-to-school spending for K-12 and college combined, according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights and Analytics: $82.8 billion

Average amount that families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend per student: $684.79

Source: NRF.

Number of times more likely that low-income parents are to apply for a new credit card in order to save 5 percent on back-to-school shopping than high-income parents, according to a WalletHub survey: 10

Percentage of people who make between $50,000 and $75,000 per year who say their kids' education is worth going into debt for: 84

Percentage of people who make $100,000 plus who agree: 54

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of parents who are confident (50 percent very; 40 percent somewhat) that their child will finish college without a temporary pause in studies, according to a poll conducted for Allianz Global Assistance: 90

Percentage of students who describe themselves as confident (49 percent very; 35 percent somewhat) in their ability to finish college without needing to temporarily withdraw: 84

Percentage of parents who agree that the financial repercussions of withdrawing from a college program could be severe: 85

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Number of times more likely children are to get to school safely by taking the bus rather than riding in a car, according to The National Safety Council: 70

Estimated number of children who are injured by backpacks each year: 14,000

Percentage of a child's weight recommended for a backpack weight, taking into consideration age and physical fitness: 5 to 10

Source: National Safety Council.

Idle Thought

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." -- Mark Twain

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