oddities

Figuratively Speaking for October 25, 2019

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | October 25th, 2019

Percentage of cohabitants who agreed that they themselves are more likely to have a good day when the person with insomnia or sleeping difficulties in the home has a good night's sleep, according to Eisai Inc.'s "How America Sleeps and Wakes" survey: 85

When their partner or relative does not have a good night's sleep, percentage of cohabitants who reported feeling tired or fatigued themselves: 26

Source: Eisai Inc.

Percentage of Americans who are paying interest rates on their credit cards greater than 15%, according to a Northwestern Mutual report: 31

Percentage who say they "always" pay only the minimum required payment, covering just the interest without paying down any principal: 12

Percentage who don't know what their interest rate is: 19

Source: Northwestern Mutual.

Percentage of U.S. adults who participate in airline and hotel rewards programs who have let their points or miles expire at some point, according to a Bankrate.com report: 46

Among those who collect credit card rewards, percentage who have allowed those to expire: 29

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of people across 29 countries who believe eating well is more important than being thin, according to a Global Advisor survey by Ipsos: 62

Percentage who believe that most diet plans ultimately fail -- with Canada, Germany, Russia and Australia most skeptical: 61

Percentage of respondents who said they exercise so they don't have to watch what they eat: 45

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Ranks of freshness, caffeine and taste profile on the list of taste preferences prized by coffee lovers, according to a survey by Peets Coffee in collaboration with OnePoll: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of Colombia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Guatemala on the list of coffee-growing regions that topped Americans' list: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage of respondents who self-identified as coffee connoisseurs who spend time researching if the beans they purchase are grown and sourced ethically: 83

Source: Peet's Coffee.

Percentage of workers who participated in team sports at some point in their life who say their work team constantly learns and strives to get better, as compared to 50 percent of employees who didn't play team sports, according to research from Eagle Hill Consulting: 73

Percentage who said their work team enthusiastically responds to change, as compared to 35 percent of employees who didn't play team sports: 56

Percentage who say their work team capitalizes on individual strengths, as compared to 48 percent of employees who didn't play team sports: 69

Source: Eagle Hill Consulting.

Percentage of homebuyers with children who had to postpone their home-buying process because of child-care expenses, according to research from the National Association of Realtors: 26

Percentage who said they compromised on the condition of the home: 31

Percentage who said they compromised on the size of the home: 31

Percentage who reported to have compromised on the price of the home: 24

Source: National Association of Realtors.

Percentage of global enterprises and mid-sized companies that are shifting permanent roles to contingent positions this year to remain agile, according to a report released by Randstad Sourceright: 25

Percentage of working professionals who indicate that they are more open to nontraditional work arrangements than they had been in the past: 55

Percentage of mid-sized companies that said the use of freelance workers and gig workers has at least the same if not more impact on their talent strategies: 79

Source: Randstad.

Percentage of lawyers who said that their hiring decisions are influenced more by job candidates' technical abilities than their soft skills, according to a survey by Robert Half Legal: 62

Percentage of respondents who cited cybersecurity as the top area of technology in which lawyers are expected to be competent: 48

Percentage who cited data analytics: 43

Source: Robert Half Legal.

Idle Thought

"It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages." -- Friedrich Nietzsche

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for October 18, 2019

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | October 18th, 2019

Percentage of people in a relationship who say their partner is financially irresponsible, according to a survey from Policygenius: 22

Times more likely these people are to break up with a partner over money issues than people who say their partner is good with money: 10

Percentage of couples who are tackling finances together -- keeping and managing joint finances: 78

Source: Policygenius.

Percentage of Americans who have no retirement savings at all, according to findings of a Northwestern Mutual study: 15

Percentage of Americans who don't know how much they'll need to retire comfortably: 56

On average, the percentage chance that people believe they have to outlive their savings: 45

Source: Northwestern Mutual.

Percentage of all employees who said their biggest distraction is a co-worker talking loudly on the phone, according to a survey by Poly: 76

Percentage who are frustrated, at least occasionally, due to distractions during a phone or video call: 93

Percentage of Gen Z respondents who spend at least half their day on a telephone, video or multi-party call, while only 7 percent of baby boomers do the same: 20

Source: Poly.

Percentage of managers who would consider a long period of consistent work as comparable to full time when evaluating applicants, according to an industry-wide survey by Accountemps: 71

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of Americans who have argued about the need to declutter and get rid of things, according to the results of a survey by TaskRabbit, conducted in partnership with Wakefield Research: 41

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

When it comes to tackling life's more mundane tasks, percentage who believe that they're more likely to complete a marathon than to successfully assemble a piece of furniture by themselves: 27

Source: TaskRabbit.

Percentage of consumers who will contact a company to give it the chance to resolve an issue, according to a study conducted by Oracle in partnership with Jeanne Bliss: 35

When asked to equate contacting customer service to another experience, percentage of consumers who said it was like going to the dentist: 18

Percentage who said it was like stubbing your toe: 13

Source: Oracle.

Ranks of investment properties (39%), vacation homes (36%) and rental properties (26%) on the list of the most popular reasons for buying additional homes, according to Lending Tree's latest survey: 1, 2, 3

Source: Lending Tree.

Percentage of Americans with good credit (credit score of 660-plus) who believe taking on debt purposefully can help them accomplish their goals, according to a survey by LightStream, a division of SunTrust Bank: 79

Percentage who are currently carrying debt that is not associated with auto, mortgage, business or student loans, averaging $19,833: 28

Ranks of orthodontics/elective medical procedures/fertility treatments, care for aging family members, a wedding or a divorce, on the list of common reasons to take on debt: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: SunTrust Bank Inc.

Percentage of renters who said they will avoid or put off conversations with apartment managers about a variety of issues and will try to fix the problem themselves before calling management, according to a survey by ButterflyMX and Entrata: 100

Percentage who said they wouldn't report the problem at all: 28

Percentage who said they'd eventually report it, but delay it for a week or more: 21

Source: ButterflyMX.

Idle Thought

"A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury." -- John Stuart Mill, philosopher and economist

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for October 11, 2019

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | October 11th, 2019

Ranks of having a budget, buying a house, filing your own taxes, understanding and monitoring your credit score, and investing in your 401(k) on the list of the top signs of "adulting" across the generations, according to a survey by Farm Rich: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Farm Rich.

When asked what describes a good neighbor, percentage of American homeowners aged 25 or older who cited being "friendly to other neighbors" as the top quality, according to a survey conducted on behalf of Neighborhoods.com: 79

Ranks of someone who "maintains a clean yard," "maintains a nice house," "is quiet” and "friendly to pets" on the homeowners’ list of qualities of a good neighbor: 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage of respondents who said the prospect of new relationships or friendships with neighbors was important to them when deciding to buy their home: 58

Source: Neighborhoods.com.

Percentage of men who felt financially ready for a child versus 53% of women, according to a white paper from PolicyGenius: 63

Percentage of parents ages 18 to 44 who say child care is their biggest child-related expense: 30

Percentage of parents ages 45 and up who say recreation/extracurricular activities is their biggest child-related expense: 22

Source: PolicyGenius.

Percentage of workers who admit to comparing notes on compensation with co-workers, according to research from Robert Half: 54

While most workers have talked salary with colleagues, percentage who did nothing with the information: 61

Percentage who used the insights to ask for a raise: 28

Percentage who used it when negotiating a new job offer: 17

Source: Robert Half.

At the 50 publicly traded U.S. corporations with the widest pay gaps in 2018, estimated number of years the typical employee would have to work to earn what their CEO made in just one year, according to an Institute for Policy Studies report: 1,000

Among S&P 500 firms, percentage that paid their CEO more than 100 times their median worker pay in 2018, and nearly 10% had median pay below the poverty line for a family of four: nearly 80

Source: Institute for Policy Studies.

Percentage of parents who say their children influence at least some aspect of their purchases, either for household items or for themselves, according to a report by the National Retail Federation: 87

Ranks of the children will be using the item, their opinion matters to their parents, and to teach decision-making on the list of reasons parents involve their children in purchasing decisions: 1 (tie), 3

Source: NRF.

Percentage cut in the chances of organically meeting a compatible partner in traditional everyday life as the weather shifts colder, according to a survey by the Dating.com Group: 50

Percentage of survey respondents who state they are less likely to attend a social gathering during the winter than in the summer and prefer to stay home when it's cold: 67

Percentage who revealed they are more likely to use online dating sites during the cold: 55

Source: Dating.com Group.

Percentage of people who said reading was their No. 1 activity while waiting for their flights at the airport, according to a survey conducted by The GO Group, LLC: 53

Percentage who cited "grabbing a bite to eat": 45

Percentage who said they did “nothing”: 4

Source: The GO Group, LLC.

Percentage of North American businesses that reported their organization has experienced at least one data breach in the past 12 months, according to a report from Shred-it: 68

Percentage of those data breaches that involved the loss or theft of paper documents or electronic devices containing sensitive information: 69

Percentage of managers who are concerned their employees or contractors have printed and left behind a document that could lead to a data breach: 65

Percentage of managers who have seen or picked up confidential documents left in the printer: 71

Source: Shred-it.

Idle Thought

“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” -- Abraham Lincoln

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

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