oddities

Figuratively Speaking for September 23, 2019

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | September 23rd, 2019

Average reading grade level at which most credit card agreements are written, according to a new CreditCards.com report: 11th

Approximate percentage of consumers who read at a ninth-grade level or below: 50

Average number of words in a credit card agreement, which takes a typical adult about 20 minutes to read: 4,900

Percentage of credit card holders who "never" or "hardly ever" read the legal agreements that come with their cards: 46

Source: CreditCards.com.

Percentage of employees who have applied to between three and nine jobs in the last six months, according to Nielsen's Home Entertainment Consumer Trends report: 29

Percentage of employees who feel every job is temporary: 43

Percentage of employees who feel changing jobs will increase compensation: 57

Source: ManpowerGroup.

Date that a Domino's franchise in Auckland, New Zealand, delivered a pizza via drone, according to research by YouGov: Aug. 25, 2016

According to a poll from YouGov, percentage of Americans aged 18 and older who think drones are capable of delivering pizza without a hitch: 35

More specifically, percentage of people who trust that a drone will actually let go of the food when it's supposed to: 32

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of Americans who voted for the same person as their partner in the 2012 U.S. presidential election, according to an Ipsos survey: 64

This year, percentage of independents who believe they will vote for the same person as their partner: 56

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of Americans who believe income from investments should be taxed at least as much as wages, according to the 2016 Tax Fairness Survey by WalletHub: 90

Percentage of respondents who view tax fairness as more important than whatever is best for the economy (22.6 percent) and tax equality (20.6 percent): 56.7

Ranks of taxes on wages and corporations on the list of the least fair taxes: 1, 2

Ranks of taxes on alcohol and tobacco on the list of the most fair taxes: 1, 2

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of employers who say two or more hours a day are lost in productivity because employees are distracted, according to a CareerBuilder Survey: 75

When looking for a culprit, percentage of employers who say that workers' mobile phones/texting are to blame: 55

Percentage of workers who have smartphones: 83

Percentage of those with smartphones who keep them within eye contact at work: 82

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of Americans who say they turn off lights, televisions or other appliances when not in use in order to improve energy efficiency at home, according to results of a Harris Poll: 75

Percentage of Americans who are replacing incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs: 50

Percentage who are looking for the Energy Star label when replacing appliances: 47

Percentage who are using low-watt bulbs where lighting isn't critical: 46

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of total expenditures on course textbooks nationwide that goes toward print materials, according to data from Nielsen's U.S. Student Attitudes Towards Content in Higher Education report: 69

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of people who say they buy or rent their home media content both physically and digitally, according to Nielsen's Home Entertainment Consumer Trends report: 41

Even though Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy five years ago, percentage of people who said they still buy or rent only physical discs: 20

Source: Nielsen Online.

Rank of road accidents on the list of the most prolific killers of tourists, even in countries that suffer from terrorism or violence, according to research by the Global Wellness Institute: 1

For the United States, number of times more that the domestic homicide rate exceeds the rate of Americans killed while traveling abroad for tourism purposes (last year, 4 per 100,000 vs. 0.2 per 100,000): 20

Source: Global Wellness Institute.

Idle Thought

"Only the weak are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong." -- Leo Buscaglia

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for September 20, 2019

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | September 20th, 2019

Percentage of senior managers who said style of dress is important for candidates when interviewing for a job, according to research from Accountemps: 94

Percentage who said applicants should always wear a formal suit for their interview: 37

Percentage who felt proper interview attire depends on the position or department at the company: 36

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of people who said they enjoy scrubbing the toilet vs. the 67% who said they enjoy washing their dishes by hand, according to a household chore survey conducted done on behalf of DishFish: 77

Percentage who enjoy taking out the garbage: 79

Percentage who enjoy cleaning the stovetop: 78

Percentage who enjoy cleaning the tub/shower: 78

Percentage of people who let their dishes pile up between cleanings: 69

Source: DishFish.

Percentage of employees who said they regularly search for jobs while employed, according to a survey from CareerBuilder: 29

Percentage who said that even though they are not actively looking for a new role, they would be open if the right opportunity came along: 78

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Number of American adults -- 15% of the U.S. adult population -- who are planning to bet on National Football League games this season, according to a survey by the American Gaming Association: 38 million

Percentage of avid NFL fans who plan to place a bet on the NFL this season: 39

Source: American Gaming Association.

Percentage of respondents to Adam and Eve's annual sex survey who said they prefer monogamy in their sexual relationships (77% of females; 68% of males): 73

Percentage who said they are open to nonmonogamous sexual relationships (11% of females; 22% of males): 17

Source: Adam and Eve.

Percentage of new-car buyers who have some familiarity with autonomous mode, according to an Ipsos study: 50

If given the choice, percentage of new-car buyers who would purchase a fully autonomous vehicle: 6

Percentage of new-car buyers who simply enjoy driving: 70

Source: Ipsos Global.

Percentage of Americans who think it is easier to go to the ER than to get a doctor's appointment, according to a new independent study from Zocdoc: 73

Average wait time to see a primary care physician in the U.S.: 24 days

Though 84% of Americans have an established relationship with a primary care physician, percentage who would still visit the ER if they couldn't get in to see a doctor at the office quickly enough: 65

Source: Zocdoc.

Percentage of seniors living alone who felt that owning a pet gave them purpose, according to a survey by Home Instead Senior Care: 63

Percentage who reported they would feel lonelier without their pet, with more than half saying they would not be as healthy: 86

Source: Home Instead Senior Care.

Percentage of CFOs who said they think a career in consulting is attractive to senior-level accounting and finance executives, according to a survey from Robert Half Management Resources: 90

Ranks of variety and challenge of work, attractive compensation and a flexible schedule on the list of the biggest draws: 1, 2, 3

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Percentage of consumers who say they have never traded in a mobile phone, potentially leaving hundreds of dollars on the table when upgrading their devices, according to a survey of people who plan to upgrade their hardware between now and the holidays: 27

Percentage of people who said they own two or more mobile devices, often preferring to keep their current one as a backup -- causing old phones to quickly pile up in desk drawers across the country: 42

Source: ecoATM Gazelle.

Idle Thought

"I don't know why we are here, but I'm pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves." -- Ludwig Wittgenstein, philosopher

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for September 13, 2019

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | September 13th, 2019

Percentage of workers who reported having the "Sunday Scaries" -- anxiety felt the night before the start of the workweek, according to a survey conducted by Accountemps, a Robert Half company: 39

Percentage of senior managers who believe their teams are experiencing some degree of burnout: 96

Percentage of workers who said they are at least somewhat burned out: 91

Source: Robert Half.

By the end of 2019, estimated number U.S. households that will have acquired a new dog during the year, according to a report by Packaged Facts: 7 million

Number of U.S. households that will have acquired a new cat over the same period of time: 5 million

Percentage of new dogs that are adopted from pet shelters or rescue sources: 34

Percentage of cats that are adopted from pet shelters or rescue sources: 30

Source: Packaged Facts.

Amount of money generated in spending for goods and services in 2018 by commercial and consumer credit, debit and prepaid cards issued in the U.S., according to the Nilson Report: $6.130 trillion

Commercial card spending: $1.393 trillion

Consumer card spending: $4.737 trillion

Visa's percentage share of all commercial card spending vs. American Express, Mastercard and Discover: 43.15

Source: The Nilson Report.

Percentage of respondents who identified as baby boomers who plan to depend on Social Security as their primary source of retirement income, compared to only 20% of millennials, according to a survey of millennials, Gen Xers and baby boomers conducted for the American Advisors Group: 49

Percentage of millennial respondents who plan on using their personal savings as their primary source of retirement funding: 23

Source: American Advisors Group.

Percentage of Americans who grill at tailgating activities for sporting events, according to a consumer survey by the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association: 11

Ranks of flavor, lifestyle, entertainment, convenience and health on the list of reasons why people grill: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association.

Ranks of washing the car, gardening, cleaning windows and vacuuming on the list of the most lucrative chores kids perform to earn their allowance money, according to a study by RoosterMoney: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of phones, LEGO sets, Nintendo Switch and dolls/figures on the list of the top 10 things kids are saving toward: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: RoosterMoney.

Percentage of vacation homeowners who use their vacation home once a year or less, according to a survey by Lending Tree: 37

Percentage who don't rent out their additional home at all: 41

Of those who decided to sell their additional home, percentage who said they did so primarily because they didn't use it often: 31

Percentage of vacation homeowners who report they vacationed in the area for one to three years before buying their home: 36

Source: Lending Tree.

Percentage of restaurant-goers who said they are likely to visit a restaurant's website before they dine in or order takeout or delivery, according to the results of a survey by MGH: 77

Of that group, percentage who have been discouraged from visiting a restaurant because of its website: 68

Percentage of respondents who said "not caring for the menu" was the main reason they were discouraged from visiting the restaurant: 65

Source: MGH.

Percentage of global consumers who would use a form of transportation with a lower carbon footprint than air travel even if it were less convenient or more expensive, according to a study conducted in 27 countries on behalf of the World Economic Forum: 14

Percentage who would do so if it were as convenient or no more expensive than flying: 29

Source: World Economic Forum.

Idle Thought

"The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas." -- Linus Pauling, chemist, peace activist

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

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