oddities

Figuratively Speaking for April 24, 2020

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | April 24th, 2020

Percentage of Americans who say they have reached out to a friend, neighbor or loved one to help during this pandemic crisis, according to an Ipsos' North America Omnibus survey: 70

When asked, percentage of respondents who say they can think of something positive they have personally enjoyed or experienced during the coronavirus outbreak: 93

Percentage who said more time at home: 51

Percentage who said cleaning/decluttering: 43

Source: Ipsos Reid Omnibus Services.

According to NameSnack's new business name-generation website, average percentage increase in traffic on their website on a typical day since Americans went into some sort of lockdown, suggesting that there has been a huge increase in interest from people considering starting their own business: 362

Source: NameSnack.

Percentage of Americans who report feeling anxious as a result of the pandemic, according to a study by Cohen Veterans Network: 64

Percentage who cite feeling lonely or isolated: 49

Percentage who are having trouble sleeping: 46

Source: Cohen Veterans Network.

Ranks of New Hampshire, Louisiana, Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina on the list of states with the highest percentage increases in unemployment, according to research by WalletHub: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Rank of Oregon, Connecticut, Alaska, Wyoming and Wisconsin on the list of states with the smallest percentage increases in unemployment: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: WalletHub.

When asked how individuals would invest $5,000 in their future education or training, percentage who said they would spend those funds with an online college or university, according to a Strada Education Network survey: 26

Percentage who said apprenticeship or internship with a local employer: 18

Source: Strada Education Network.

Percentage of homeowners who asked their mortgage lender for a reprieve from their monthly payment because of the coronavirus outbreak who were granted one, according to a survey from LendingTree: 91

Estimated percentage of people who didn't ask for help with their credit card or mortgage payments who said they didn't realize they had that option: 20

Source: LendingTree.

Percentage of Americans who say they are washing their hands more frequently, more thoroughly or longer per CDC recommendations, according to the Bradley Corp.: 90

Percentage who are washing their hands six or more times a day -- compared to just 37% who washed up that often prior to the outbreak: 78

Source: Bradley Corp.

Percentage of American consumers who report they are cooking more, according to research from the marketing and PR firm Hunter, revealing the impact of COVID-19 on Americans' food habits: 54

Of the 75% of American adults who are cooking more, percentage who report that they are more confident in the kitchen: 50

Percentage who said they are learning more about cooking and starting to build more confidence: 26

Percentage who said they are enjoying it more: 35

Source: Hunter.

In light of the current pandemic, percentage of all Americans who have been jolted into realizing the need to take action now to protect the planet, according to research commissioned by ecoATM Gazelle: 17

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, percentage more people who now agree climate change is a real thing: 10

Percentage who believe we can all make a difference: 30

Source: ecoATM Gazelle.

Despite the economic fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, percentage of companies that have no immediate plans to make any pay adjustments for salaried staff, according to a survey from executive compensation consultancy Pearl Meyer: 48

Percentage that have no adjustment plans for hourly staff: 54

Percentage of companies that have taken staffing actions (such as furloughs or layoffs): 22

Percentage that are considering taking actions: 31

Source: Pearl Meyer and Partners.

Idle Thought

"I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day; I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way." -- Edgar Guest, poet

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for April 17, 2020

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | April 17th, 2020

Percentage of Americans who say nurses and doctors should be regarded as heroes, according to a survey by More in Common: 84

Percentage who say the same for police, firefighters and emergency medical teams: 71

Source: More in Common.

Percentage of Americans who said their Easter spending was affected by the coronavirus this year, according to WalletHub: 68

Approximate percentage of Easter-celebrating Americans who said they skipped out on candy, new outfits and Easter foods this year, compared with prior years: 50

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of Americans who say they don't wash their hands after using the restroom, according to a ValuePenguin.com survey: 40

Percentage who admit to regularly biting their nails: 18

Percentage who confessed to sleeping next to their phones, which are capable of containing millions of bacteria on their surfaces: 45

Source: ValuePenguin.com.

Percentage of Americans who say if they lost their job due to COVID-19, they would need additional education or training to obtain a comparable job, according to a Strada Education Network survey: 33

Percentage who report they have lost their job or have had their income reduced due to COVID-19: 46

Percentage who say that in times of economic uncertainty, getting more education is essential: 66

Source: Strada Education Network.

Percentage of Americans who currently work at home or have worked from home in the last year, according to research by Blackhawk Network: 71

Percentage who prefer their employers engage them via rewards and incentives -- citing prepaid credit cards and gift cards as the incentive they most want to receive: 84

Source: Blackhawk Network.

Percentage of charities that anticipate their 2020 revenue will be lower than expected, according to research from the Better Business Bureau's Give.org: 80

Percentage who are concerned about maintaining a financially stable organization in 2020: 89.4

Ranks of donors will likely be less able to give, charities will be less able to host fundraising events and donors will redirect support to individuals in need on the list of reasons for the anticipated decreased revenue: 1, 2, 3

Source: BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

Percentage of businesses that did not have a crisis communications plan in place prior to the pandemic, according to a poll released by 5W Public Relations: 67

Percentage of businesses that have seen a negative impact on their business due to COVID-19: 75

Percentage who agree this pandemic will forever change the way we do business: 84

Percentage who have offered free goods or services during the pandemic to help the community/country: 61

Source: 5W Public Relations.

Among U.S. adults who anticipate receiving a stimulus check, percentage who believe that the money would not be enough to sustain their financial well-being for one month, according to a poll by Bankrate.com: 31

Of those who anticipate receiving a stimulus check, percentage who think they would use the added money to help pay monthly bills (e.g. rent/mortgage, utilities): 50

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of Americans who said they are currently self-quarantining, up from 11% on March 15, according to a survey by SurveyMonkey: 50

Percentage who are worried that they or someone in their family will be infected with the virus, up from 57% on March 15: 80

Percentage of Americans who know someone who has been infected with the virus personally: 21

Percentage who are worried about the impact of the coronavirus on the national economy, up from 81% on March 15: 92

Source: Survey Monkey.

Percentage of small businesses that have not yet applied for their CARES Act relief but plan to, according to an Alignable Pulse Poll: 19.3

Of those who have applied, percentage who stated that their bank wasn't ready to accept applications: 11.1

Percentage who have been approved and are awaiting money: 4.9

Percentage who are awaiting approval: 63.8

Percentage who have received their money: 0.8

Source: Alignable.

Idle Thought

"It is only when a man tames his own demons that he becomes the king of himself if not of the world." -- Joseph Campbell, "The Hero With a Thousand Faces"

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for April 10, 2020

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | April 10th, 2020

Percentage of Americans who believe that grocery workers should have guaranteed access to emergency paid sick days, according to a poll taken by LeanIn.Org: 72

Percentage who say pharmacy workers deserve the same thing: 71

Source: LeanIn.Org.

Although 31% of respondents to an ROI Rocket survey indicate they're "very concerned" about contracting the virus themselves, percentage who report taking appropriate precautions: 91

Ranks of washing hands for 20 seconds (89%) and social distancing/avoiding large crowds (81%) on the list of the most popularly reported precautions: 1, 2

Source: ROI Rocket.

In a survey by the creators of the dating app Crush, percentage of users who say they would meet potential love interests in person, despite global stay-at-home orders due to the spread of the coronavirus: 78

Among the respondents in favor of in-person meetups, percentage that are men: 63

Source: Crush.

Percentage of credit card holders, or about 110 million U.S. adults, who entered the coronavirus outbreak with credit card debt, according to a CreditCards.com report: 59

Of those with credit card debt, percentage (representing 61 million people) who had been carrying that debt for at least one year: 56

Of those, number who had been carrying debt for at least three years: 27 million

Source: CreditCards.com.

Estimated percentage of business owners who say their businesses are hurting from the coronavirus, according to a survey by WalletHub: 87

Percentage of small-business owners who say their business can survive only for less than three months in current conditions: 35

Percentage who think that minimizing COVID-19 deaths is more important than reopening the economy: 79

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of Americans who are concerned about their physical health, compared to 58% of Americans who are concerned about their mental health because of social distancing, according to findings of the America's Mental Health COVID-19 Pulse Study by Cohen Veterans Network: 70

Percentage who worry that people who need mental health services won't be able to get help: 80

Source: Cohen Veterans Network.

As a result of the coronavirus crisis, percentage of Americans who now agree with the statement that "we are all in it together," rather than "it's everyone for themselves" -- compared to just 63% in 2018, according to a survey by More in Common: 90

Percentage who now regard the country as "very divided," down from 62% in 2018: 22

Percentage of respondents who say nurses and doctors should be regarded as heroes: 84

Percentage who say the same for police officers, firefighters and emergency medical teams: 71

Percentage of Americans who say that they are more grateful for grocery store staff, with 65% saying they deserve to be regarded as heroes: 76

Source: More in Common.

Percentage of small businesses that say they've been negatively impacted by the coronavirus (up from 60% just two weeks ago), according to a poll by Alignable.com: 90

Percentage that say they have less than one month's savings to keep them afloat: 37

Percentage that say they're not sure where else to turn for extra funding to stay in business: 65

Source: Alignable.

Percentage of investors who are worried they'll lose all of their retirement savings because of the coronavirus outbreak, according to research by LendingTree: 38

Percentage who said they've already lost money from investments during the pandemic (this does not include the 26% of respondents who weren't sure if they had lost money): 59

Percentage of respondents who said they're avoiding looking at their investment portfolio amid the coronavirus pandemic: 39

Source: LendingTree.

Percentage of American leisure and business travelers who said their travel had been upended by the virus, according to Destination Analysts' Coronavirus Travel Sentiment tracking study (collected March 27-29): 66

Percentage of American travelers who now say they will change the types of destinations they choose to visit after the coronavirus situation is resolved: 29

Source: Destination Analysts.

Idle Thought

"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." -- Mark Twain

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

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