With an eight-hour workday being the norm, number of hours per month the average employee loses to easily automatable tasks, according to a survey by OnePoll: 60

Percentage of office workers who would like their employers to automate more repetitive manual digital business processes: 87

Percentage who said they would consider leaving a job if this manual administrative load became too high: 55

Percentage who said they would be attracted to work at a company that invested in automation to reduce repetitive digital administration tasks: 85

Source: OnePoll.

Average cost of a major unexpected expense, according to a report by Bankrate.com: $3,518

Percentage of people who would use a credit card to cover it: 16

Percentage who would borrow from family: 14

Percentage who would take out a personal loan: 7

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of their day that workers think they spend browsing social media, printing personal documents and buying concert tickets, among other personal chores, according to a survey by 72POINT: 30

Percentage who admit to having missed an important work deadline as a result of prioritizing nonwork-related tasks: 10

Percentage who have even been fired for engaging in the practice: 10

Percentage who think they'd be in trouble were their employer to check their internet history: 40

Source: 72Point/SWNS Digital.

Number of government impostor scams received by the Federal Trade Commission in 2019, an increase of more than 50% over 2018: 647,000

Percentage of U.S. adults who reported that they have been targeted by an impostor scam, according to an AARP survey: 47

Source: AARP.

Percentage of people who are concerned with the amount of technology in cars now compared to five years ago, according to a survey commissioned by ValuePenguin: 60

Percentage of Americans who said they would feel unsafe with self-driving cars on the road: 72

Source: ValuePenguin.com.

Percentage of millennials (aged 23 to 38) living in the U.S. who said that if given free time, they would most like to hit the road for a trip, according to a survey conducted by Kelton Global on behalf of Mazda: 39

Percentage who would choose to be a homebody for the weekend to binge media content: 26

Percentage who agree that road trips create quality time with their passengers: 64

Source: Mazda North American Operations.

Percentage of Americans who said that they would eat more plant-based foods if they had more information about the environmental impacts of their food choices, according to results from a national survey released by Earth Day Network and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication: 51

Although 4% of Americans self-identify as vegan or vegetarian, percentage who choose plant-based dairy alternatives about two to five times a week, or more often: 20

Percentage of Americans who think a meal with a plant-based main course is more expensive than a meal with a meat-based main course: 49

Source: Earth Day Network.

Percentage of women who subscribe to the mantra, "everything in moderation, including moderation," especially when it comes to their diet, according to a Truvia sweetener survey: 60

Percentage who agree veggie pizza should always count as a serving of vegetables: 71

Percentage who say they'd choose to replace one of the five basic food groups with an indulgence like baked goods, caffeine or alcohol: 70 plus

Percentage of respondents who say their first sip of coffee or tea in the morning is their daily moment of Zen: 80

Source: Truvia.

Of Americans in debt, percentage who said that if someone would develop a plan for them to get out of and stay out of debt, they would be willing to give up their favorite food for a month, according to a survey by Nationwide: 63

Percentage who would forgo their coffee and other forms of caffeine for 30 days: 49

Source: Nationwide.

Idle Thought

"While money can't buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery." -- Groucho Marx

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

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.)