Percentage of job applicants who lie on their resumes, interviews and during reference checks, according to a survey of applicants, hiring managers, HR professionals and recruiters by Checkster: 78

Percentage of hiring managers who are willing to accept these lapses in ethics: 66

Percentage of applicants who have claimed mastery in skills of which they had only basic knowledge: 60

Percentage who reported working at some jobs longer in order to omit an employer: 50

Source: Checkster.

Amount average Americans spend on dating each year, according to a LendingTree study: $696.98

Average cost of a first date: $77

Percentage of respondents who go on fewer than three dates per month: 81

Percentage who think dating would be easier if they had more money: 51

Source: Lending Tree.

Percentage of modern couples who share fiscal responsibility with their partners, according to a survey by Varo Money Inc.: 77

Percentage who maintain separate bank accounts from their partner: 45

Among those who have joint bank accounts, percentage who also keep a separate personal account: 23

Source: Varo Money.

Percentage of Americans who admit to having made mistakes with their finances over the past 10 years, according to a survey from DepositAccounts.com, a LendingTree company: 85

Percentage who said that their worst financial mistake of the last decade was racking up credit card debt: 23

Ranks of not saving enough for retirement (16%), spending beyond their means (16%) and paying bills late (8%) on the list of their worst mistakes: 2 (tie), 4

Source: LendingTree.

Percentage of Americans who reported that the top deterrent to working remotely are not having adequate technology, according to a survey by Robert Half: 39

Percentage who said it's decreased productivity due to distractions: 38

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of Americans who routinely argue over the temperature in their homes, with 64% admitting to underhandedly changing the temperature to suit their own comfort instead of their partner's, according to a survey by Vivint Solar: 75

Percentage of respondents who reported that their comfort with the temperature in their home was more important than their partner's or children's: 37

Source: Vivint Solar.

Percentage of men who feel they share equally in the household chore responsibilities, according to "The Happiness Index: Love and Relationships in America," a report commissioned by eharmony: 50

Percentage of men who believe it's important that they and their partner spend the rest of their lives together: 73

Source: eharmony.

Estimated retail sales of cannabis products in 2019 -- up 24% from 2018: $14.4 billion

Source: Packaged Facts.

Percentage of Americans who rate their overall health and wellness as good or excellent, according to a poll done on behalf of the American Osteopathic Association: 71

Percentage of those with a household income of less than $50,000 who said the same: 60

Percentage of those with a household income of $100,000 or more who said the same: 81

Source: American Osteopathic Association.

Percentage of Americans who disapprove of how the government spends their tax dollars, according to a GOBankingRates survey: 82

Percentage who believe they are overtaxed: 51

Ranks of Social Security, Medicare and education among the programs that Americans believe should be the top government spending priorities: 1 (tie)

Source: GOBankingRates.com.

Idle Thought

"No amount of belief makes something a fact." -- James Randi, magician and skeptic

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

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

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.)

Percentage of C-suite executives who say that their corporate culture is one of the top reasons people join their company, according to a survey by Eagle Hill Consulting: 100

Percentage who cited improving corporate culture as a top strategic priority: 59

Percentage of respondents who agree that they hold their employees accountable for company culture once they come on board: 48

Source: Eagle Hill Consulting.

Percentage of HR managers who say that the Monday after the Super Bowl should be a holiday, according to research by OfficeTeam: 72

Percentage of employees who have discussed a major sporting event with co-workers the day after: 55

Rank of major sporting events on the list of the hottest topics that men discuss at work: 1

Percentage of employees who have taken a planned day off from work following a major sporting event: 20

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of people who have "ghosted" somebody -- or stopped all communication without explanation -- who state that they would do it again, according to a survey by dating.com: 78

Percentage who admit to dropping communication after a first date because they didn't feel a connection: 45

Percentage of ghosters who report that a date looking different than in their online dating profile photos is the main cause of their disappearance: 15

Source: Dating.com Group.

Percentage of moms who say they get a better workout running after their kids than in a spin class, according to a Truvia sweetener survey: 60

Percentage who say that household chores count as cardio: 80

Source: Truvia.

Percentage of U.S. adults who do not expect their personal financial situation to improve in 2020 (this figure includes 41% who expect their finances to stay the same this year and 16% who say their finances will be worse), according to a study from Bankrate.com: 57

Percentage of those who expect their financial situation to improve who say it will be due to making more money at work: 49

Percentage who say they expect to have less debt in 2020: 42

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of Americans who say that it is likely they will live longer than their parents, according to a poll from the Longevity Project and Morning Consult, developed in collaboration with the Stanford Center on Longevity: 63

Ranks of "having more time with their family" and "having new experiences" on the list of positive impacts of living longer: 1, 2

Source: Longevity Project.

Percentage of Americans who said they were spending 30% or less of their monthly income on housing, according to a survey based on questions prepared by Varo Money: 30

Percentage of respondents who stated that their overall expenses have increased in the past 12 months: 78

Ranks of utilities and food on the list of the largest nonhousing expenditures: 1, 2

Source: Varo Money.

Estimated percentage of women married in recent years who have kept their names, according to a Google consumer survey conducted by The Upshot: 20

Percentage who have chosen hyphenating their name or legally changing it while continuing to use their birth name professionally: 10

By comparison, percentage of women who married for the first time in the 1970s who kept their names: 17

Source: Google.

Percentage of Americans who say that the health care system treats physical and mental health as equally important, according to a survey from Ipsos Public Affairs: 23

Percentage who believe that seeing a mental health professional is a sign of strength: 71

Percentage who say people should adopt a more tolerant attitude toward people with mental illness: 69

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of U.S. broadband households who own a home security system, according to Parks Associates: 33

Percentage who own a smart home control system, an increase of 38% since 2018: 18

Percentage who own at least one smart speaker or display, an increase of 10% since 2018: 41

Source: Parks Associates.

Idle Thought

"Getting money is not all a man's business; to cultivate kindness is a valuable part of the business of life." -- Samuel Johnson, "The Life of Samuel Johnson"

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