Number of U.S. adults who won't be taking a summer vacation this year because they simply can't afford one, according to a Bankrate.com report: 39 million
Of those, percentage who say paying down debt is the biggest factor standing between them and being able to afford to take a trip: 22
Source: Bankrate.com.
Percentage of job seekers who have received two or more offers simultaneously when applying for jobs, according to a survey by Robert Half Finance and Accounting: 59
Percentage of professionals who reported making their decision in two or fewer days: 58
Ranks of salary, benefits, advancement potential, commute, and position's responsibilities or challenges on the list of the top five reasons job seekers accepted one offer over another: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Source: Robert Half Finance and Accounting.
Percentage of people who don't realize that credit card companies can charge foreign fees while you're traveling abroad, according to a WalletHub survey: 40
Percentage who don't understand that foreign fees can apply while you're dealing with overseas merchants from the U.S.: 80
Percentage of people who consider foreign fees to be unfair: 81
Source: WalletHub.
Percentage of women who prefer to get to the airport at least two hours in advance of departure time for a domestic flight -- compared to 39% of men -- according to a survey conducted by the GO Group LLC: 47
Percentage of men who found 90 minutes to be the ideal time to arrive before departure, with 42% of women agreeing: 47
For international travel, the "ideal" amount of time to arrive prior to departure, as selected by 50% of men and 52% of women: 2 hours
Source: The GO Group LLC.
While 84 percent of blue-collar workers say they can make ends meet, percentage of all workers who say it is difficult to make ends meet, according to a study conducted by The Harris Poll and commissioned by Express Employment Professionals: 48
Percentage of workers who say they are worried about saving enough for their retirement: 73
Percentage who agree that it's "more likely that Martians will land on Earth than I'll collect Social Security": 53
Source: The Harris Poll.
Percentage of American travelers who book their vacation based on its "insta-worthiness" (destinations beautiful enough to post on Instagram), ranking third behind Spanish (55%) and Italian (58%) travelers among those who do so, according to a survey by eDreams: 52
By contrast, percentage of British holidaymakers who care about their chosen destination's social media impact: 14
Source: eDreams.
Percentage of Americans who said they prefer soft taco shells, according to a survey by Ortega: 53
Percentage of Americans (roughly 6.5 million) who have never eaten a taco before: 2
Source: Ortega.
Percentage of sports fans who said they buy food and beverages while at sporting events but have had it with long concession wait times and are willing to pay for more modern conveniences and experiences, according to a global study from Oracle Food and Beverage: 94
Average spend per game: $42
Percentage who said they would spend even more if they didn't have to wait in lines: 58
Source: Oracle.
Percentage of people who agree that CEOs should take the lead on global societal and systemic change, rather than waiting for government to impose it, according to the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer: 76
Percentage trust in government: 47
Percentage trust in business: 56
Percentage trust in "my employer": 75
Source: Edelman.
Percentage of IT decision-makers who believe that they are not extremely well prepared to react to a serious data breach, according to 1E research commissioned in partnership with Vanson Bourne: 77
Percentage who have experienced a serious security breach in the last two years -- with 31% percent experiencing more than one: 60
Source: 1E.
Idle Thought
"It is better to prevent crimes than to punish them." -- Cesare Beccaria, philosopher and politician
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)