Percentage of U.S. adults between ages 50 and 64 who have used a cannabis-based product, according to a poll by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted in 2015 and 2016: 9

Percentage of those over 65 who were prescribed cannabis as a treatment by their doctors in 2016: 25

According to data compiled by Credence Research, value of the global medical marijuana market in 2017: $13.90 billion

Projected value by 2026: $57.58 billion

Source: FinancialBuzz.com.

Percentage of Americans who would rather wait in line at the DMV than argue with a spouse about cleaning, according to the results of the Spring Cleaning and Recommerce survey by OfferUp: 32

Percentage who would rather spend time with their in-laws than have an argument about decluttering: 25

Source: OfferUp.

Ranks of Mardi Gras, New Year's Eve, Saint Patrick's Day and the Fourth of July on the list of the booziest holidays, according to a survey by alcohol.org: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of men who say they binge drink on Saint Patrick's Day: 32

Percentage of women who say the same: 21

Source: American Addiction Centers.

Percentage of travelers who stated they have trouble sleeping when traveling away from home, according to a global study commissioned by IHG Hotels and Resorts: 79

Average amount of sleep a business traveler loses each night when staying away from home, averaging just 5 hours and 17 minutes of sleep: 58 minutes

To aid sleep, percentage who reported listening to music: 47

Percentage who watched TV: 45

Source: IHG Hotels and Resorts.

Number of people who planned to place bets on the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, according to a survey released by the American Gaming Association (AGA): 47 million

Amount that Americans plan to wager on this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament, with 1-in-5 adults placing a bet: $8.5 billion

During this year's tournament, percentage more than was bet on the Super Bowl that sports fans are expected to wager on March Madness: 40

Source: American Gaming Association.

Percentage of U.S. managers who say that in the workplace robots perform "higher quality work" than humans, according to a national study from edtech firm MindEdge/Skye Learning: 58

Percentage who expect that automation will lead to more job losses in the next five years: 49

Source: MindEdge.

Percentage of job candidates that senior managers report have been removed from consideration for a position with their company after checking references, according to a survey by Accountemps: 34

When speaking to an applicant's job references, percentage of managers who said it was most important to get an insight into the applicant's strengths and weaknesses: 38

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of firms that indicate labor shortage is causing them to ask skilled workers to do more work, according to results from the Q1 2019 USG Corporation and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index: 81

Percentage of firms that struggle to meet deadlines: 70

Percentage of firms that reject new projects: 40

Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Percentage of working Americans who report they aren't saving any money at all, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 21

Percentage who are saving the minimum 15 percent of their income that most experts recommend: 17

Percentage of working Americans who say their biggest reason for not saving more money was that they simply "haven't gotten around to it": 16

Source: Bankrate.com.

At the 53rd Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, percentage of respondents to a survey by TD Wealth who identified family conflict as the leading threat to estate planning in 2019: 46

Ranks of market volatility (24 percent) and tax reform (14 percent) on the list of threats: 2, 3

Source: TD Bank.

Idle Thought

"A hungry man is not a free man." -- Adlai Stevenson, statesman

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

Percentage of adults who go to a professional to improve their appearance who say that looking their best is important for daily activities (e.g, career, school, volunteering, errands), according to a survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Allergan: 92

Percentage who believe that the way they look contributes to how successful they can be in all aspects of their lives: 84

Percentage who also say that looking fit and healthy, and being on trend with fashion and beauty contributes to their confidence: 86

Source: Ipsos Insight.

Percentage of Americans who cited love as a very important reason to get married, according to a Pew Research survey: 88

Ranks of making a lifelong commitment, companionship and having children on their list of reasons: 2, 3, 4

Ranks of having their relationship recognized in a religious ceremony, financial stability, and legal rights and benefits on the list of important reasons to marry: 5, 6, 7

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Percentage of teens who see anxiety and depression, whether they personally suffer from these conditions or not, as major problems among their peers, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17: 70

Percentage of teens who say they feel a lot of pressure to get good grades: 61

Percentage who say they feel a lot of pressure to look good: 29

Percentage who say they feel a lot of pressure to fit in socially: 28

Percentage who feel pressured to be involved in extracurricular activities and to be good at sports: 21 each

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

Whether it be to cap off a tough day at the office, trade barbs with friends at a local watering hole or cheer on our favourite teams during big sports matchups, ranks of margarita, martini, old-fashioned, mimosa and Moscow mule on the list of American's favorite cocktails, according to a recent analysis of on-premise cocktail consumption by Nielsen CGA: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Average cost of margaritas in the U.S. -- almost 50 cents more than the average cocktail price of $9: $9.49

Source: Nielsen Insights.

Number of surgical and minimally invasive cosmetic procedures performed in the United States in 2018, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgery's annual plastic surgery statistics report, up a quarter of a million from the previous year: 17.7 million

Of the more than 1.8 million cosmetic surgical procedures performed in 2018, ranks of breast augmentation, liposuction, nose reshaping and eyelid surgery on the list of top procedures: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: American Society of Plastic Surgery.

On average, number of hours per week blue-collar employees work in the U.S., according to a Harris Poll study commissioned by Express Employment Professionals: 41

Percentage who report that they are paid hourly: 80

Percentage of respondents who say they work mostly indoors: 42

Percentage who say they work mostly outdoors: 23

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of parents who believe that children should be limited to no more than three hours per week of game playing during the school year, according to a YouGov Omnibus research: 61

Percentage who say 4 or more hours is OK during the summer break: 54

Source: YouGov.

Ranks of miscellaneous fine arts, composition and speech, clinical psychology, cosmetology and culinary arts (tie), and visual and performing arts on the list of the five college majors most likely to pay the least, according to a survey Bankrate.com: 1, 2, 3, 4 (tie), 6

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of adults who are most likely to say that if printed materials no longer existed it would make them feel sad, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Canon: 47

Percentage of Americans who say that they prefer reading physical books more than e-books: 76

Percentage who say that they like being able to highlight and mark up physical content: 70

Percentage of students who agree that they prefer doing their school reading and assignments on paper as opposed to online: 76

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Out of 26 cities in the Asia/Pacific region, ranks of Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong and Melbourne on the list of "five-star" bleisure destinations, based on a quantitative barometer included in the new Economist Intelligence Unit study for their combination of business and leisure -- or bleisure -- appeal for travelers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Economist Intelligence Unit.

Idle Thought

"Be master of your petty annoyances and conserve your energies for the big, worthwhile things. It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out -- it's the grain of sand in your shoe." -- Robert Service, writer

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

Ranks of "to be helpful, accommodating and polite" and "a tendency to jump in and fix problems, even when they aren't theirs" on the list of the top-five reasons people attribute for their overgrown personal and professional to-do lists, according to a study from researchers at VitalSmarts: 1, 2

Ranks of "ambiguous limits and unclear rules about which tasks to accept or reject," "working with those in authority who make non-negotiable demands" and "inability to say 'no' or renegotiate commitments" on the list: 3, 4, 5

Source: VitalSmarts.

Percentage of employees at the United Nations who have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace (approximately 40 percent of women and 20 percent of men reported harassment), according to an online survey conducted by auditing and consulting firm Deloitte: 33

Percentage who claimed they were subjected to sexual stories or offensive jokes: 14

Percentage who say they have been touched in a manner that made them feel uncomfortable: 10

Source: Deloitte.

Percentage of individuals between the ages of 18 and 64 in 27 countries who are part of the gig and sharing economies, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor's 2018/2019 Global Report, sponsored by Babson College, Universidad Del Desarrollo and Korea Entrepreneurship Foundation: 6

Ranks of South Korea (21.5 percent), Israel (12.3 percent), Chile (11.2 percent), Ireland (10.9 percent) and the United States (10.8 percent) on the list of nations with populations most actively involved in gig/sharing economic activities: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.

Percentage of CEOs who feel it is important to lead with gratitude, according to a survey by professional relationship-building management system THNKS: 90

Percentage who believe their employees would give them high marks for doing so: 88

Percentage of the employees who indicated they are satisfied with the level of gratitude expressed in their workplace: 37

Source: Thnks.

Percentage of people who would break up with their significant other if he or she spent money irresponsibly, according to a WalletHub survey: 46

Percentage of people who say irresponsible spending is a bigger turnoff than bad breath: 40

Percentage who would not marry someone with bad credit: 53

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of U.S. farm products that are exported each year, according to America's Diverse Family Farms: 25

Percentage of U.S. farms that market foods locally through direct-to-consumer or intermediate sales: 8

Source: American Farm Bureau Federation.

Percentage of professional investors who said that they expect a recession within the next 24 months, according to a new Boston Consulting Group article based on a survey of portfolio managers and buy- and sell-side analysts: 73

Percentage of investors who said that they are bullish about the market's potential over the next 12 months, down from nearly a half a year ago: 33

Percentage who are calling for companies to focus on long-term value creation: 82

Source: Boston Consulting Group.

Percentage of millennials (ages 18 to 37) who foresee an improved personal financial state in 2019, compared to just 35 percent of those who are older, according to research by Quest Diagnostics: 59

Percentage of those who think their finances will improve this year who believe it will be because they will make more money at work, compared to those who anticipate having less debt (38 percent) or making more money from savings and investments (17 percent): 52

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of millennials who have engaged in "bleisure" (combined business and leisure) travel in the past, according to a survey by National Car Rental: 90

Percentage of millennials who say they've extended business travel into a leisure trip or scheduled a vacation around business travel to save on vacation costs: 49

Across generations, percentage of those who engage in bleisure travel who say they are satisfied with their quality of life, compared to 75 percent of non-bleisure travelers: 93

Source: National Car Rental.

Percentage of small business owners who spend roughly one day a week or more on administrative human resources issues, according to a study conducted by Oasis: 45

Percentage of owners and managers of businesses that have been in operation for 10 or fewer years who spend six to 10 hours a week: 35

When asked what they most disliked about managing people, percentage of respondents who said "employees having personal issues that can conflict with work": 41

Source: Oasis.

Idle Thought

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." -- E. M. Forster, novelist (1879-1970)

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