Percentage of Americans who have lied to their partners about their finances, specifically their spending habits and amount of debt, according to a GoBankingRates survey: 22

Percentage of women who have lied to their partner about their spending habits, compared to men: 13 vs. 6

Source: GoBankingRates.com.

Percentage of high school juniors who believe a person should have a concrete career path in mind before they finish high school, according to a survey conducted for Junior Achievement USA and The Hartford: 44

Percentage of college sophomores who agree: 16

Source: Junior Achievement.

Percentage of IT decision-makers who said their trouble in bringing on technology talent is compensation, according to a Robert Half survey: 24

Percentage who say the hiring process is extremely slow and, therefore, they lose good candidates while deciding: 22

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Percentage of workers who cite positive word associations with "retirement," compared with only 37 percent who cite negative words, according to the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies: 86

Despite the magnitude of preparations and challenges involved -- ranks of "freedom," "enjoyment" and "stress-free" on the list of words that workers most often associate with retirement: 1, 2, 3

Source: Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.

Percentage of U.S. drivers who take photos or videos when they see an emergency vehicle on the side of the road responding to a fire, a crash or simply making a routine traffic stop, according to a survey by the National Safety Council and the Emergency Responder Safety Institute: 71

Percentage who post to social media while behind the wheel: 60

Percentage who send an email about the situation while behind the wheel: 66

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of Americans who say they are overwhelmed every year when they do their taxes, according to a survey by Toluna on behalf of TaxSlayer: 50

Percentage who say tax season is stressful: 61

Source: TaxSlayer LLC.

Percentage of people who stated that receiving a handwritten note or greeting card made them feel loved and appreciated, according to a survey by Pilot Corporation of America: 90

Percentage who reported noticeably lower stress levels when engaging in writing-related activities such as journaling, letter-writing and list-making: 43

Source: Pilot Corporation of America.

Percentage of couples who invited pets to be part of their wedding party, according to findings from The Knot: 7

Percentage of brides who are opting to have men and women in their bridal party: 28

Percentage of grooms who are doing the same: 11

Source: The Knot.

Percentage of knowledge workers (defined as people whose main capital is knowledge, who think for a living and have access to technology for their day-to-day jobs) who are comfortable with reskilling in order to work alongside the digital workforce, according to a report from Blue Prism: 83

Percentage who say they're ready to take on a new job role: 78

Percentage of market and business decision-makers who believe that employees are afraid of losing their jobs to automation: 70

Percentage of knowledge workers who harbor fears about job loss to robotic process automation: 37

Source: Blue Prism.

Idle Thought

"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it." -- Frederic Bastiat

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

Percentage of Americans who reported having at least one online subscription, according to a report from CompareCards.com: 76

Percentage who pay for services like Netflix and Hulu: 58

Percentage who said they paid for online subscription shopping like Amazon Prime: 41

Percentage who subscribe to a music service like Spotify or Pandora: 34

Source: CompareCards.

Number of hot dogs that MLB fans are expected to consume this season, according to a survey by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council: 18.3 million

Estimated number of sausages that will be eaten: 4 million

Source: National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

Percentage of U.S. parents (6 million) who say they have a child under 18 with a credit card, according to a CreditCards.com report released today: 8

Among parents who have credit cards, percentage who said their kids have used the parents’ card without permission: 21

Percentage who said it has happened multiple times: 13

Source: CreditCards.com.

Ranks of shared interests, a satisfying sexual relationship and sharing household chores as the most important elements to a successful marriage, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press: 1, 2, 3

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

Percentage of resumes HR managers receive that are from candidates who don't meet the job requirements, according to research from Robert Half: 42

Percentage of professionals who admitted they would submit for a role when they don't match all the qualifications: 78

Percentage of HR managers who reported their company is open to hiring an employee whose skills can be developed through training: 84

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Percentage of workers who say it's common for employees to use company time for personal income tax preparation (e.g., printing paperwork, filling out forms, talking to their accountant), according to an Accountemps survey: 43

Percentage who say employees routinely use office resources (e.g., copier, printer, scanner, mailroom) to complete tax paperwork: 50

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of Americans who will make Easter baskets this year, according to a National Confectioners Association survey: 66

Percentage of Americans who say chocolate eggs and bunnies continue to be their favorite Easter candy, while jelly beans and candy-coated eggs are not far behind: 55

Average number of times people in the United States enjoy chocolate and candy, adding just 40 calories and about one teaspoon of added sugar per day: 2 to 3 times per week

Source: National Confectioners Association.

Percentage of buyers' agents who say that staging makes it easier for buyers to visualize a property as their future home, according to a National Association of Realtors' survey: 83

Percentage of sellers' agents who said that staging a home decreases the amount of time a home spends on the market: 53

Percentage who say staging a home increases its dollar value by 1% to 5%: 25

Source: National Association of Realtors.

Percentage of the people who acknowledged that they are more likely to buy optical glasses that are trendy and offer an extra feature, technological or practical, than to buy them just for health purposes, according to a survey conducted by GlassesUSA.com: 76

Source: GlassesUSA.com.

Idle thought

“Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed; everything else is public relations.” -- Anonymous

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

Percentage of families who find the idea of an "unplugged" family vacation appealing, according to research from Alamo Rent A Car: 91

Percentage of families who have committed to an unplugged vacation: 37

Percentage of that group who were successful: 92

Source: Alamo Rent A Car.

Percentage of senior managers who said college basketball tournament activities have a positive impact on staff morale, according to research from Robert Half: 72

Percentage who also see productivity benefits: 52

Percentage of employees who said they are distracted at work by sports, up from 38 percent in 2016: 49

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Estimated amount that American businesses are losing per year due to employees' personal financial stress, according to a survey by Salary Finance: $500 billion Percentage of U.S. employees who are worried about money, leading to depression, panic attacks, sleepless nights and distractions at work: 48

Percentage of the U.S. GDP impacted due to lost productivity: 2.5

Source: Salary Finance.

Percentage of global consumers who feel they are better off financially than they were five years ago, according to a Nielsen report: 58

Percentage who are able to live comfortably and are able to buy some things they want: 53

Percentage who can afford only food, shelter and basic needs: 32

Source: Nielsen Insights.

Percentage of U.S. employers who have been directly affected by employee use of opioids, according to a survey released by the National Safety Council: 75

Percentage who have experienced absenteeism or impaired worker performance: 38

Percentage who have had an overdose, arrest, a near-miss or an injury because of employee opioid use: 31

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of millennials who ranked teeth as the No. 1 thing they would save or maintain about their body, compared to baby boomers' preference for saving their eyesight, according to a survey conducted by the American Association of Endodontists: 24

Percentage of women who feel strongly that saving their natural teeth helps them feel better about themselves, compared to 51 percent of men: 61

Ranks of photos and scrapbooks (38 percent) and family mementos and keepsakes (29 percent) on the list of household items Americans said they cherished most: 1, 2

Source: American Association of Endodontists.

Estimated percentage of Americans who are expecting to receive a tax refund this year, according to a nationwide survey conducted by SunTrust: 67

Percentage who will use at least a portion of their check from Uncle Sam to pay down debt: 31

Percentage of respondents who plan to spend their refund on travel and entertainment: 24

Source: SunTrust Banks Inc.

Estimated percentage of the individual retirement accounts (IRAs) owned by those near or in retirement (ages 60 or older) that saw balance increases over a three-year period, according to new research by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI): 50

Among the IRAs owned by retirees who are just starting their Required Minimum Distributions (ages 71 to 74), percentage that had increasing balances during this period: 49.2

Source: EBRI.

Percentage of small businesses that will increase their investment in social media to boost brand awareness and generate customer leads, according to a new survey from The Manifest: 63

Percentage that are committed to spending more on digital marketing in 2019: 95

Ranks of social media, website, email marketing, SEO, video and content marketing on the list of the top six digital marketing channels small businesses invest in: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: The Manifest.

Percentage of Americans who are willing to spend more money at businesses that have clean, well-maintained restrooms, according to a survey by Bradley Corp.: 52

Percentage who have had an unpleasant experience due to the condition of the washroom: 67

Percentage who have left without doing business: 26

Source: Bradley Corp.

Idle Thought

"In some circumstances, the refusal to be defeated is a refusal to be educated." -- Margaret Halsey, novelist

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