Percentage of holiday shoppers who carry some sort of gift-giving guilt, according to a survey by CompareCards: 47

Percentage who have at least one holiday shopping money regret: 70

Source: CompareCards.

For the second year in a row, rank of "recession" on the list of the top external worries for CEOs and other C-suite executives globally, according to a survey by the Conference Board: 1

Rank of this concern in the U.S. (up from No. 3 in 2019): 1

For CEOs globally, rank of "uncertainty about global trade" on the list of their biggest external worries: 2

Source: The Conference Board.

Percentage of women around the country who say they're throwing conventional thinking out the door by choosing not to make a New Year's resolution, according to a Truvia sweetener survey: 60

Percentage of women who say that finding time to work out is more stressful than actually working out -- sometimes the best wellness hack is looking outside the gym: 65

Source: Truvia.

Percentage of Americans who know their zodiac/horoscope/astrological sign, according to a new Ipsos poll on astrology: 88

Percentage who check their horoscope often: 5

Of those who know their sign, percentage who identify with it: 53

For those that do turn to their horoscope to understand their life, percentage who use it to see what their future will be like: 37

Percentage who use it to evaluate relationship compatibility: 32

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of rewards credit card holders who say they earn the most rewards on grocery purchases, according to a new CreditCards.com report: 35

Percentage who say travel is their top earning category: 27

Ranks of gas and dining on the list: 3, 4

Source: CreditCards.com.

Rank of "lack of human interaction" on the list of the most cited reasons for discomfort with artificial intelligence, according to SAS: 1

Percentage who were comfortable with companies using AI in business interactions generally: 47

Percentage of those surveyed who were comfortable with AI assisting doctors in the operating room: 47

Source: SAS.

Percentage of U.S. broadband households that plan to buy a smart video doorbell in the next 12 months, according to Parks Associates: 25

Source: Parks Associates.

Ranks of Emma, Olivia, Ava, Isabella, Sophia, Charlotte, Mia, Amelia, Harper and Evelyn on the list of the most popular names for girls, according to Social Security Administration data: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Ranks of: Liam, Noah, William, James, Oliver, Benjamin, Elijah, Lucas, Mason and Logan on the list of the most popular names for boys: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Source: Social Security Administration.

Of those U.S. adults who earn under $30,000 per year and who admit to spending on lottery tickets, alcohol, tobacco and/or gambling, percentage of their annual income spent on lottery tickets, according to a study by Bankrate.com: 13

Percentage spent on tobacco or e-cigarette products: 13

Percentage spent on alcohol: 11

Source: Bankrate.com.

Idle Thought

"I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money." -- Pablo Picasso

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

In 2018, estimated worth of merchandise returns that were made throughout the year in the U.S., with 25% of those returns made at Christmastime, according to Splitit: $400 billion

Percentage of consumers who have returned an online purchase, with 38% having returned up to 10% of all online purchases they have made, according to research by Splitit: 60

Source: Splitit.

In the United States today, percentage of households that are single-person households, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 28

In 1960, percentage of households that were single-person households: 13

Percentage of Americans age 15 and older who have never been married, up from 23% in 1950: 32

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who plan to travel this winter, according to research by WalletHub: 66

Percentage who say they will spend at least as much as they did last year: 79

Ranks of weather, cost, packing appropriately and spending time with in-laws/relatives on the list of leading concerns for winter travelers: 1, 2, 3 (tie)

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of Americans who still prefer dining in restaurants over takeout or delivery, according to a nationwide survey by Vixxo: 62

Percentage of consumers who say the quality of food is the main factor in determining why they pick a particular restaurant when dining out: 46

While roughly half (51%) of Americans choose their favorite restaurant based on the menu options, percentage who say that it's the overall experience at an establishment -- including atmosphere, employees and convenience -- that makes it their favorite: 38

Source: Vixxo.

Percentage of Americans who named credit card debt as their biggest financial regret of the past decade, according to a survey from Policygenius: 24.1

Despite the red ink, percentage who say their finances are better now than they were in 2010: 47

Rank of "paying down debt" on the list of the leading financial goals for Americans over the next decade: 1

Source: Policygenius.

Percentage increase in the number of adults age 50-plus who play online or video games on a monthly basis, according to research from AARP: 14

Over the past three years, percentage growth in the 50-plus gamer population -- from 40.2 million gamers in 2016 to 50.6 million in 2019: 25.9

Percentage of women who are playing video games, compared with 40% of men age 50-plus: 49

Source: AARP.

Ranks of Nala, Luna, Bella, Daisy and Willow on the list of the favorite female cat names for 2019, according to Find Cat Names, a leading website for finding the perfect name for a new cat: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Simba, Milo, Alfie, Felix and Archie on the list of the favorite male cat names for 2019: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Find Cat Names.

Percentage of construction contractors who said there is a perception that construction jobs are all "dirty" jobs, according to the USG Corp. and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index: 61

Percentage who cited the perception that construction work requires only brute strength: 55

Percentage who cited the perception that construction is just a "job" rather than a career: 52

Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Percentage of female business travelers who have experienced some sort of harassment or mistreatment while traveling, according to the results of a SAP Concur survey: 77

Percentage who said they are often asked if they are traveling with their husband: 42

Percentage who say they are ignored by service workers: 38

Percentage of respondents who have changed their travel arrangements because they felt unsafe: 58

Source: SAP.

Percentage of Americans who believe an arts education is as important to society today as it was 10 to 15 years ago, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of LifeWTR: 78

Percentage who support the continued value of an arts education and who believe the arts are a vital part of a well-rounded education for K-12 students: 91

Percentage who believe that arts and STEM subjects complement each other well: 84

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Idle Thought

"I never saw an ugly thing in my life: for let the form of an object be what it may -- light, shade and perspective will always make it beautiful." -- John Constable, painter

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

According to History.com, estimated date of the earliest recorded celebration to honor the new year -- in ancient Babylon: 2000 B.C.

Source: History.com.

Percentage of Americans who won't be making a resolution in 2020, according to a survey by Urban Plates: 62

Percentage who say the reason for that is because they are "where they want to be": 16

Of those making resolutions in 2020, percentage of respondents who cited money matters and eating healthier (avoiding fast food and processed food, etc.) as their goals: 51

Percentage of respondents planning a 2020 resolution who report "losing weight" as a goal: 42

Of those who made a 2019 resolution, percentage who did not complete theirs -- with the largest percentage keeping their resolutions no longer than three months: 56

Source: Urban Plates.

Estimated number of people who will gather in Times Square to ring in the new year on Dec. 31, according to the Times Square Alliance: 1 million plus

Number of Waterford Crystal triangles of varying sizes that are attached to the aluminum frame of the Times Square New Year's ball: 2,688

Weight of the confetti that is dropped in Times Square during the New Year's Eve celebration: 1 ton plus

Source: Times Square Visitors Center.

Percentage of American companies that plan to expand creative teams in the first half of 2020, according to the Creative Group: 66

Percentage who said retaining staff is more difficult than a year ago: 66

Source: The Creative Group.

Number of American adults who have admitted to getting at least one unwanted gift over the holidays, according to a study from Finder.com: 154 million

Source: Finder.com.

Percentage of U.S. workers who did not see a salary increase in the last year, according to a Bankrate.com report: 50

Percentage of respondents who received a pay raise: 28

Percentage who got a better-paying job: 12

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of parents with a child age 3 to 13 who planned to stay in this New Year's Eve, according to a poll conducted on behalf of Netflix: 77

Percentage who agree that they like the idea of having a special tradition with their child/children on New Year's Eve: 90

Percentage who believe New Year's Eve is an important time to spend with family: 87

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of Americans who believe in God, according to a poll for The Wall Street Journal: 82

Percentage of respondents who believe God performs miracles: 76

Percentage who said they believe in a heaven: 75

Percentage who said there is a place called hell: 61

Source: Harris Interactive for The Wall Street Journal Online's Health Industry Edition.

As wild celebrations, fireworks, local traditions and extravagant spectacles welcome the new year across the United States -- ranks of Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, Orlando, Denver and New Orleans on the list of the best U.S. destinations for New Year's Eve to celebrate the countdown to 2020, according to Skyscanner: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

Ranks of New York City; Nassau, Bahamas; Edinburgh, Scotland; Las Vegas; and Quebec City on the list of the most popular cities worldwide to spend New Year's Eve: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Skyscanner.

Idle Thought

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." -- Hippocrates

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