Percentage of Americans who have argued about the need to declutter and get rid of things, according to a survey by TaskRabbit: 41

Rank of cleaning the bathroom on the list of the most despised of all chores: 1

Percentage of Americans who dislike yard work: 43

Percentage who hate cleaning up after pets: 42

Source: TaskRabbit.

Percentage of American consumers who think back-to-school shopping is more stressful than holiday shopping, according to a CompareCards study: 36

Percentage who said it's more expensive: 32

Percentage who said back-to-school shopping has at least somewhat damaged their relationship with their child: 23

Source: CompareCards.

Percentage of Americans who canceled their cable television subscription within the past two months, according to a nationwide survey about cable-cutting and subscribing to streaming services by the market research team at Colling Media: 20

Percentage of consumers who have subscribed to a streaming service in the past two months (such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video): 39

Percentage who have watched a program, movie or video on a desktop or laptop computer, tablet, smartphone or other mobile device within the past two months: 87

Source: Colling Media.

Percentage of homebuyers with children under the age of 18 years who considered a neighborhood based on the quality of the school districts within that neighborhood, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors: 53

Percentage who selected a neighborhood based on its convenience to schools: 50

Source: National Association of Realtors.

Percentage of teens who receive money from parents or caregivers who say it is in the form of cash, according to research by Junior Achievement USA: 80

Percentage who say they have made purchases in cash: 75

Despite the use of cash, percentage of teens who said they do use mobile or online apps to manage their money -- for budgeting and planning purposes: 48

Source: Junior Achievement.

Percentage of employees who feel like they have a career, while the remaining 50% feel like they have just a job, according to a survey from CareerBuilder: 50

Percentage of employees who are satisfied with the opportunities for career advancement at their current company: 32

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

According to a survey by Zillow, percentage of residents in major U.S. metro areas who believe climate change will affect their homes or communities within their lifetime: 50

According to a Zillow analysis, number of existing homes (worth $451 billion) that will be at risk of a 10-year flood by 2050: 800,000-plus

Ranks of Miami, San Jose and Los Angeles on the list of cities most likely to anticipate climate change impact: 1, 2, 3

Source: Zillow.

Estimated number of college students ages 18 to 24 who die each year in cases where alcohol is involved, according to statistics from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: 1,519

In addition, estimated number of assaults by another student who has been drinking: 696,000

Estimated number of cases of sexual assault or date rape each year: 97,000

Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Percentage of employers who are concerned about holding on to top talent, with 1 in 3 being very concerned, according to research by Robert Half: 81

In a separate survey, percentage of professionals who plan to look for a new job in the next 12 months: 43

When workers who said they intend to leave their jobs were asked what would entice them to stay, percentage who said more money: 43

Percentage who said more time off or better benefits: 20

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of teens who get news at least a few times a week from social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, according to a poll by Common Sense Media and SurveyMonkey: 54

Percentage who get news from YouTube: 50

Of teens who get news of current events from news organizations, percentage who say it helps them better understand what is going on: 65

Percentage of teens who say that "seeing pictures and video showing what happened" gives them the best understanding of major news events: 64

Source: SurveyMonkey.

Idle Thought

"The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure much." -- William Hazlitt, essayist

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

Percentage of parents who say they are uncomfortable discussing saving for college with their kids -- only slightly less than they are discussing school safety (38%), sex (38%) and drugs (37%), according to a T. Rowe Price survey: 36

Percentage of parents who frequently discuss "planning for long-term goals such as college": 20

Source: T. Rowe Price.

Percentage of vacation homeowners who feel guilty about not using their home as much as they intended, according to a survey by Lending Tree: 49

Percentage who use their vacation home once a year or less: 37

Source: Lending Tree.

Projected back-to-school spending, averaging $519 per student in households buying clothing, supplies, computers and electronics for children in grades K-12, according to Deloitte's annual Back-to-School Survey: $27.8 billion.

Ranks of clothing and accessories, school supplies, electronic gadgets, and computers and hardware on the list of areas where money is expected to be spent: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Deloitte.

Percentage of Americans who believe that they need at least $1 million for their "dream retirement," according to a survey of millennials, Gen Xers and baby boomers conducted for the American Advisors Group: 25

Percentage of all respondents who said they would likely "retire right away" if they won the lottery: 46

Source: American Advisors Group.

Estimated number of Americans who have never switched banks, collectively leaving up to $42 billion in interest income on the table each year, according to a survey commissioned by DepositAccounts.com: 96 million

Of the millions of Americans who have never switched banks, percentage who say the reason is because they're satisfied with their current account: 75

Percentage of respondents who don't know how much interest they're earning on their savings account: 47

Source: DepositAccounts.com.

Estimated percentage of parents who say they're stressed about back-to-school time, according to a Coinstar survey: 60

Rank of school-related costs on the list of top back-to-school stressors: 1

Percentage of parents who create a back-to-school budget: 66

Percentage who have planned to make school lunches for their kids to save money: 68

Of those parents who shop without their kids, percentage who stay on budget: 69

Source: Coinstar.

Percentage of travelers who plan to take a solo trip within the next two years, according to an Expedia survey: 60

When given an ultimatum to choose between their cellphone or a travel companion to bring on their next trip, percentage of Americans who said they would choose to travel solo with just their device: 33

Percentage of respondents who agree they prefer the freedom of traveling alone and meeting new people over their desire to have a vacation companion: 66

Source: Expedia.

Percentage of parents who say they were not financially prepared to have a child, according to a study by Policygenius: 42

Percentage of married parents who felt financially ready for a child vs. 38% of single parents: 64

Percentage of men who felt financially ready for a child vs. 53% of women: 63

Source: Policygenius.

Percentage of airline credit card holders who estimate the value of the airline rewards they've earned by using their credit card is more than $600, according to a survey conducted by U.S. News: 46

Percentage who say they earned a value of $1,200 or more: 20

Percentage of respondents who redeemed free domestic flights in the last year by using the points or miles accrued with their airline credit card: 32

Source: U.S.News and World Report.

Percentage of consumers who would spend more on back-to-school shopping if offered the ability to use flexible payment solutions, such as interest-free installments or "buy now, pay later" plans, according to a survey commissioned by Splitit: 35

Percentage who said free shipping would encourage them to spend more money during back-to-school season: 37

Percentage who would feel encouraged to spend more by a 10% discount: 29

Source: Splitit.

Idle Thought

"Kindness is always fashionable." -- Amelia Barr, novelist

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

Percentage of people responding to a survey conducted by Ipsos for Vrbo who cited stuffed animals as the most important thing their child brings with them on vacation: 55

Percentage who said their child has left a toy or stuffed animal behind while away from home: 69

If that happened, percentage of respondents who said they'd buy a duplicate and pretend it was the original: 48

Source: Vrbo.

Amount American kids (4-14 years old) are earning in allowance money over the summer, according to a study by RoosterMoney: $107 ($428 over the year)

Percentage they're saving: 35

Source: RoosterMoney.

Percentage of physicians who say self-care should be considered an essential part of a patient's overall health, yet only 39 percent of consumers say they practice it often, according to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Samueli Integrative Health Programs: 90

Percentage of doctors who say patients do not seem very interested in discussing self-care: 46

Percentage of patients who say they are interested in discussing it with their health care provider: 72

Source: Samueli Integrative Health Programs.

Number of minutes of quality time the average American family spends together per weekday, according to research from Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews: 37

Percentage of kids who think parents don't understand what it's like to be a kid today: 33

Percentage who wish they could spend more time with their parents: 79

On average, percentage who wish they had more one-on-one time with their parents: 71

Percentage of kids who wished they could decide the order of the meal (dessert first!) when ordering out with their families: nearly 60

Source: Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc.

Percentage of senior dog owners who do not know when a dog is considered a senior, according to a survey by Purina: 83

Percentage of senior dog owners who correctly identified 7 as the age a dog becomes a senior: 17

Percentage who thought that age 10 is when a dog is considered a senior: 31

Percentage who know their senior dog needs regular activity, but only 77 percent agree their senior dog exercises regularly: 93

Rank of aging (58%) on the list of the biggest concerns among senior dog owners: 1

Source: Purina.

Percentage of adults with student loans who aren't saving for retirement due to their student loans, including almost half (48%) of people with student debt ages 18-34 and over a third (34%) of those 55 or older, according to a survey by YouGov on behalf of Abbott: 42

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of people who believe that mental well-being is just as important as physical well-being, according to a study by Travelzoo: 92

Percentage who agree that taking a holiday or short break helps them to feel less stressed, regain higher productivity at work and reidentify their best selves: 83

Source: Travelzoo.

Percentage of consumers who have blacklisted a brand as the result of a bad experience, according to a study conducted by Oracle in partnership with Jeanne Bliss: 43

Percentage who said they would never shop with a company again after just one bad experience: 34

Percentage who share their negative experiences: 88

Source: Oracle.

Percentage of millennials who report having a lawn is important when renting or buying a home, beating out even an updated kitchen, according to a survey by the National Association of Landscape Professionals: 82

Percentage of Americans who have a lawn: 81

Percentage who say a lawn is an important feature when renting or buying a home: 79

Percentage who garden in their yard multiple times a week: 32

Percentage who say they entertain in their yards at least once a month, while 57% use their yards for recreation at least monthly: 47

Source: Vault Communications.

Percentage of managers in the U.S. who are either currently using automation or expect to do so within the next three to five years, according to a Robert Half survey: 79

Percentage who are either currently using artificial intelligence/machine learning or plan to use it within the next three to five years: 83

Percentage who are either currently using virtual reality or expect to do so within the next three to five years: 71

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Idle thought

"Truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." -- Flannery O'Connor, writer

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