Number of Americans who claim Irish ancestry (7 times Ireland's population), according to research by WalletHub: 32.1 million

Percentage of Americans who plan to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in 2020: 57

Percentage of celebrants who plan to wear green: 79

Market value of a leprechaun's pot of gold (1,000 1 oz. gold coins): $1.6 million

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of U.S. adults who currently own unredeemed gift cards or store credits, including airline redemption vouchers, according to a new Bankrate.com survey released today: 50

Among those, amount the average adult has in unused cards/credits: $167

Collectively, amount that represents in untouched money: $21 billion

Source: Bankrate.com.

While spring break is one of the most popular travel times of the year, percentage of Gen Z (those born between 1995 and 2015) who are skeptical about traveling due to the spread of COVID-19, according to the results of a survey by EduBirdie: 76

Percentage who said they are considering canceling existing travel plans: 23

Percentage of respondents who said they prefer beach destinations over a colder ski vacation: 49

Source: EduBirdie.

Percentage of single parents who reported that they are hesitant to get back into the dating game because they are nervous about how their kids will feel/react, according to a survey by Dating.com: 76

Percentage who said that they weren't sure how to approach dating because it had been so long since they have been intimate with another person: 24

Source: Dating.com Group.

Percentage of co-working employees who prefer to work in their co-working space, according to a survey from Clutch: 33

Percentage who would prefer to work remotely: 39

Percentage who would rather work in a traditional office space: 28

Source: Clutch.

Percentage of people who report being in a political discussion where they were either the recipient or the initiator of verbal attacks, insults or name-calling -- up from 41% who said the same thing in 2016, according to a survey by VitalSmarts: 55

Back in 2016, percentage who said they'd had a political discussion that hurt a relationship: 42

Now, percentage who say a political discussion has hurt a relationship: 71

Percentage who add the relationship has never fully recovered: 23

Source: VitalSmarts.

Percentage of professionals who said their company organizes activities to celebrate sporting events like March Madness, according to research by Robert Half: 75

Of those, percentage who feel these festivities improve their on-the-job morale: 78

Ranks of friendly competitions, themed breaks or potlucks, and wearing team apparel on the list of the most impactful activities among workers who reported a boost in spirits: 1, 2, 3

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of employees who admit they put their phone on silent mode at various times throughout the workday just to minimize the interruptions, according to a survey by TRUCE Software: 89

Percentage who admit they have some level of automated alerts set up on their phones, sending them alerts throughout the day -- many of which are non-work-related: 80

Source: TRUCE Software.

Percentage of all kids who are wearing shoes that are too small, putting them at risk of foot deformity, according to a BlitzResults survey: 67

Of these, percentage who are wearing one size too small (with 19% wearing two sizes too small): 48

Percentage who are wearing the correct size: 33

Source: BlitzResults.com.

Percentage of patients who would not recommend a surgeon who left unsightly scars, according to a nationwide survey by BandGrip: 67

Percentage who would recommend a surgeon who left cosmetically pleasing scars: 98

Percentage who rated the quality of the surgeon as high-quality based on the look of the scar: 65

Source: BandGrip.

Idle Thought

"Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants." -- Epictetus

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

Percentage of Americans who are dreading filing their taxes, according to a study by LendingTree: 54

Percentage who don't want to spend the time filing: 22

Percentage who expect a tax refund this year (with 18% expecting a $2,000-plus check from the IRS): 58

Source: LendingTree.

When it comes to considering the financial value of a college education, percentage of U.S. graduates who believe their bachelor's degree to be a "good financial investment," according to a report from BestColleges: 82

Percentage of degree holders who would go back and change their undergraduate major if they could: 61

Source: BestColleges.

Percentage of millennials and Gen Zers who have had or are currently dealing with credit card debt due to fitness-related expenses, according to a survey from CompareCards: 40

Percentage of Gen Zers (43%) and millennials (38%) who say they are willing to spend more than they can afford on fitness and nutrition so long as they get healthier: 40

Source: CompareCards.

Percentage increase in the number of Americans packing their bags for stateside spring break trips over the past year, according to an Allianz Global Assistance survey: 24

Percentage increase in international getaways: 18

Ranks of Cancun, Mexico, San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on the list of the most popular international destinations among Americans: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of Orlando, Phoenix and Las Vegas on the list of the top domestic destinations: 1, 2, 3

Source: Allianz Global Assistance.

Percentage of beer-drinking Americans who said they would not buy Corona under any circumstances now, according to a survey by 5W Public Relations, which followed a consistent uptick in internet searches for "corona beer virus" and "beer coronavirus" over the past few weeks, as reported by trends data provider SEMrush: 38

Among those who said they usually drink Corona, percentage who said they would stop drinking Corona: 4

Percentage who said they wouldn't order Corona in a public venue: 14

Percentage of Americans who reported being confused about whether Corona beer is related to the coronavirus: 16

Source: 5W Public Relations.

Percentage of Americans who have more emergency savings than credit card debt, according to a new survey from Bankrate.com: 49

Percentage who have more credit card debt than emergency savings: 28

Percentage who say building savings is more important than tackling debt: 45

Percentage who say paying down debt is a higher priority than boosting emergency savings: 38

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of homeowners who plan to renovate, according to a LightStream Home Improvement Trends survey: 77

Percentage of millennial homeowners who plan improvements this year: 92

Average amount U.S. homeowners plan to spend on renovations: $11,473

Average amount millennial homeowners plan to spend -- more than any other generation: $13,838

Source: LightStream, a division of Truist Bank.

Percentage of Americans who are embracing the notion of solo travel, compared to an average of 9% elsewhere in the world, according to solo travel research gathered by travel company eDreams: 24

Of the U.S. travelers who prefer to go it alone, percentage who believe that 25 to 34 is the best age to go solo, compared to just 6% of those 55 and older: 27

Source: eDreams.

Percentage of homebuyers and sellers who said that an increase in the frequency or intensity of natural disasters at least somewhat factors into their decision about whether and where to buy or sell a home, according to a report from Redfin: 73

Percentage who said it doesn't impact their decision-making process at all: 10

Source: Redfin.

Percentage of Americans who are concerned about the impact of the coronavirus on the United States, according to Ipsos: 74

Percentage who are concerned about the impact on the markets: 61

Percentage who are concerned about the impact on them personally: 57

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Idle Thought

"If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to." -- Dorothy Parker, writer (1893-1967)

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

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.)