While Americans know they would pay less in taxes throughout the year, and they are aware they are giving Uncle Sam an interest-free loan, the percentage who still say they would rather get a refund than a bigger paycheck, vs. 37% who say the opposite, according to a survey from Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and Barclays U.S. Consumer Bank: 63
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Percentage of respondents who received a refund last year, with the median amount being $2,154: 74
Source: Commonwealth Public Affairs.
Percentage of people who admit they've cheated on a New Year's resolution, according to a WalletHub survey: 70
Percentage who believe that it is OK to adjust their New Year's resolutions throughout the year: 80
Source: WalletHub.
Percentage of senior managers who said organizations are less formal than they were 10 years ago, according to research by Accountemps: 91
Ranks of cursing, bringing pets and having political decor on the list of workplace behaviors that are still considered inappropriate: 1, 2, 3
Source: Accountemps.
According to parents, number of faux pas they commit before their child moves out of the house, according to a survey by Boudreaux's Butt Paste: 4,000
Ranks of allowing children to have too much screen time, accidentally teaching children swear words and letting children watch something that wasn't age-appropriate on the list of the top parenting snafus: 1, 2, 3
Percentage of parents who think their child behaves worse than they did at their age, while 33% said it's about the same: 29
Source: Boudreaux's Butt Paste.
Percentage of employers who admitted to making a decision not to employ someone because they didn't like the way they looked, according to research by Green King: 51
Of those, percentage who didn't employ the candidate because of their visible tattoos: 43
Percentage who didn't approve of their clothes: 40
Percentage of bosses who were put off by hair color or style: 30
Percentage who said the interviewee failed to land the job because they had a disability: 21
Source: Green King.
Percentage of U.S. adults who admit to committing some form of financial infidelity against their current spouse/partner, according to a survey by CreditCards.com: 44
Percentage who say that financial infidelity is worse than physical infidelity: 27
Percentage who admit to spending more money than they feel their spouse/partner would be comfortable with: 34
Percentage who have kept at least one secret financial account (including 10% with a covert credit card, 9% a savings account and 8% a checking account): 17
Source: CreditCards.com.
Percentage of college students who engaged in high-risk, and often life-threatening, behaviors while away at school over the past 12 months, according to a ValuePenguin.com survey: 50
Percentage of college students who admitted to texting while driving: 47
Percentage who say they don't wear a seat belt: 37
Percentage who confessed to driving under the influence of recreational marijuana: 18
Percentage who confessed to driving under the influence of alcohol: 13
Percentage who have taken prescription drugs to help them study: 20 plus
Percentage who have had sexual intercourse without a condom: 38
Source: ValuePenguin.com.
Percentage of Americans who are in favor of culturally diverse workplaces, indicating that they like working with people from other cultures, according to a survey by Randstad: 81
Percentage of U.S. employees who also feel that it's good their employers hire foreign workers, provided the role can't be filled by candidates from the domestic talent pool: 66
Source: Randstad.
Percentage of U.S. adults with a net worth of $100,000 or more who have credit card debt, vs. 40% of adults with net worths below $100,000, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 46
Percentage of those with a net worth between $100,000 and $199,999 who carry credit card debt, vs. 42% of all Americans: 57
Percentage of U.S. adults worth more than $1 million who are likely to carry credit card debt: 21
Source: Bankrate.com.
Percentage of parents and students who reported that their high school promotes trade school education as a potential path following graduation, according to a survey commissioned by StrataTech Education Group: 32
Percentage of the students who said they have considered attending a trade school: 51
When asked to select attributes that are important to them in a career, percentage of respondents who selected stability and quality of life: 69
When asked about what is most important, percentage who chose quality of life, vs. 20% who chose stability: 26
Source: StrataTech Education Group.
Idle Thought
"If I could, I would always work in silence and obscurity, and let my efforts be known by their results." -- Emily Bronte, novelist
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)