Ranks of visible tattoos, casual attire and non-traditional hair colors on the list of behaviors that are more acceptable today than they were in the past, according to research by Accountemps: 1, 2 (tie)

Percentage of senior managers who cited loosening societal standards as the top reason for the shift: 59

Percentage who said another reason was companies catering to younger professionals: 51

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of parents who now support using virtual learning for smaller-scale school disruptions, such as snow days, according to the results of research by Pearson and Connections Academy: 83

Percentage of parents who say that the disruption of school has added to overall feelings of stress and anxiety among young people: 89

Source: Pearson.

Percentage of people who are planning to tap their 401(k) today (41% for those laid off due to COVID-19), according to the SimplyWise survey: 24

Percentage who now plan to work in retirement: 72

Source: SimplyWise.

Percentage of women who said they'd be unlikely to consider dating a man with shirtless images displayed in their profile for a committed relationship, according to a survey by dating.com: 76

Percentage of male dating profiles that contain at least one shirtless picture: 60

Percentage of female dating profiles that contain at least one bikini/bathing suit picture: 20

Percentage increase in overall match rates that this same group of women had compared to their covered-up counterparts: 40

Source: Dating.com Group.

Percentage of students who said they have lost a job due to COVID-19 needed to help pay for college, according to a student survey conducted by Scholarship America: 30

Percentage who said a parent has lost a job: 28

Percentage who said they are not planning on enrolling in the fall because of COVID-19: 4

Source: Scholarship America.

Percentage of Americans who view "taking the first generation COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it's available" as a moderate or large risk, according to the Axios-Ipsos Index: 61

Percentage who view participating in COVID-19 vaccine trials as very risky: 69

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of parents who know their school's plans for the fall who report that their children will be in some level of remote education when school resumes, according to a survey conducted by Discount School Supply: 71

As schools continue to adjust their plans, percentage of families who are still unsure of their family's fall strategy: 25

Source: Discount School Supply.

Among the 16% of U.S. adults who think their finances will be worse this year, percentage who blamed the work done by political leaders in Washington, D.C., according to a survey by Bankrate: 44

Percentage of Americans who claim to have had at least one financial goal going into 2020: 83

Rank of "paying down debt" as the most popular goal: 1

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of Americans who said they do not feel like they are saving enough to cover unexpected expenses that may come up in the future, according to a survey based on questions prepared by Varo Money: 90

Source: Varo Money.

Amid the ongoing uncertainty, percentage of shoppers who expect K-12 and college students will take at least some of their classes at home this fall, according to a survey by National Retail Federation: 55

Percentage who expect most or all classes will be taught in-person: 26

Of those expecting students to be at home, percentage who believe they will need to buy items like computers, home furnishings or other supplies to accommodate learning: 72

Source: NRF.

Idle Thought

"The truth isn't always beauty, but the hunger for it is." -- Nadine Gordimer, novelist, Nobel laureate

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

Ranks of heavy workloads, long work hours and tight deadlines on the list of the most-stressful aspects of running a small business, according to The UPS Store's annual small-business survey: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of just working through it, prioritizing tasks/responsibilities and analyzing the situation for a solution/plan of action on the list of approaches used to combat these stressors: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of small-business owners who say they have recently changed or pivoted their business: 41

Percentage who are doing more business online: 65

Source: The UPS Store.

If a coronavirus vaccine arrives this year -- which would make it the fastest-ever vaccine approval by a huge margin -- percentage of Americans who think taking a first-generation vaccine as soon as it's available is risky, according to the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index: 60

Percentage who have established a "bubble" of people outside their home who only interact with each other, as an attempt to create a small sense of normalcy in social life: 47

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of small-business decision-makers who say they or their business owners have dipped into their personal funds to keep their businesses afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a CreditCards.com report: 35

Percentage who say they or the owners used a personal credit card: 24

Percentage who say they or the owners have tapped into a personal savings account since March: 21

Source: CreditCards.com.

Though skills learned through chores are among the most important lessons parents hope to instill in their children, percentage of parents who say their children regularly do chores -- down from 79% in 1997 -- according to a survey by the Whirlpool Corp.: 70

Percentage who say that it's not important to them that their children do chores: 15

Source: Whirlpool.

Percentage decline in grocery shopping once a week or more (from 67% of shoppers to 47% of shoppers) since the pandemic began, according to a research report from Acosta: 30

When looking at total household spending, percentage of shoppers who are spending more on groceries than they were pre-COVID: 50

Of shoppers spending more on groceries, percentage who cited eating at home more as their reason: 59

Source: Acosta.

Average amount per family that parents with children in elementary school through high school say they plan to spend on back-to-school shopping (topping the previous record of $696.70 they said they would spend last year), according to a survey by the National Retail Federation: $789.49

Average amount that college students and their families expect to spend per family: $1,059.20

Source: NRF.

This time last year, percentage of U.S. adults who said they typically made purchases under $10 with cash, according to a CreditCards.com survey: 49

Percentage rise in credit card usage at grocery stores between December 2019 and April 2020, according to a Bankrate.com survey: 70

Percentage rise in Visa U.S. contactless payments from March 2019 to March 2020: 150

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of "cord cutters" who say live TV is not important to them, according to E-Poll Market research: 52

Of those who still have traditional pay-TV, percentage who say having access to live TV is "very important": 49

Monthly cost of YouTube TV (up from $15): $65

Source: E-Poll Market Research.

Percentage of college students who said paying for school is one of their top concerns, according to a student survey conducted by Scholarship America: 64

Percentage who listed contracting the coronavirus as a top concern: 42

Percentage who said the pandemic has reduced their ability to earn income needed for their education: 77

Percentage of respondents who said the pandemic has increased their need for financial aid: 64

Source: Scholarship America.

Percentage of Americans who would be at least somewhat uncomfortable with flying in the next month, limiting summer travel possibilities, according to a survey from The Manifest: 67

Despite concerns about air travel as daily new cases have surged, percentage of people who have fully canceled their 2020 travel plans: 23

Percentage who are stopping additional travel planning: 32

Percentage who are continuing to plan: 15

Source: The Manifest.

Idle Thought

"Do not believe that it is very much of an advance to do the unnecessary three times as fast." -- Peter Drucker, management consultant, professor and writer

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

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they've delayed at least one major financial milestone as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 36

Ranks of finding a new job, buying/leasing a car and buying a home on the most likely financial milestones that have been delayed: 1, 2, 3

Source: Bankrate.com.

Ranks of lingering in a car/restroom or taking an extended break to finish reading or watching something on a phone before returning to work, taking work-related calls while driving to and from work, and hiding a phone while in a meeting to continue to check messages or text with a co-worker on the list of counterproductive and unsafe behaviors regarding mobile device usage on the job, according to a survey by TRUE Software: 1, 2, 3

Source: TRUE Software.

Estimated percentage of employees ages 18 to 38 who say companies should prioritize diversity over experience and capabilities when it comes to making hiring decisions, according to a survey by Topia: 40

Percentage who also say they have to hide parts of who they are in order to fit in at work: 25

Percentage who said being empowered and trusted makes for a great employee experience: 58

Percentage who cited training, job rotation or international assignments on the list of attributes of a great employee experience: 48

Percentage who cited having the right tech: 39

Percentage who cited an amazing office space and perks: 19

Source: Topia.

Percentage of parents who say that COVID-19 has changed their attitude toward back-to-school spending, according to a WalletHub survey: 71

Percentage of parents who say they will spend the same or less on back-to-school shopping compared to 2019: 79

Number of times more likely moms are than dads to say they won't do any back-to-school shopping this year: 3

Source: WalletHub.

Ranks of more affordable housing, proximity to family/partners and retirement on the list of reasons participants gave for packing up their lives and relocating, according to a new survey conducted by Redfin: 1, 2, 3

While only a quarter of participants move for affordability, percentage who said their ability to afford nonhousing expenses and leisure activities improved after their relocation: 60

Source: Redfin.

Ranks of soft skills, personal enrichment/life experience and hard skills on the list of the most valuable benefits of college, according to a report from BestColleges: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of all degree holders who said the skills they learned in college were helpful in their current jobs: 79

Source: BestColleges.

Amount the U.S. cloud gaming market could generate in annual subscription revenue, as 30% of U.S. broadband households currently express interest in this service, according to research from Parks Associates: $3 billion

Percentage of U.S. broadband households who play video games for at least one hour per week: 74

Average number of hours per week gamers play, a number skewed toward heavy gamers, with PC gaming showing the biggest gains as a result of COVID-19 pandemic: 22

Source: Parks Associates.

Estimated number of people -- more than one-third of credit card holders -- who said they involuntarily had a credit limit reduced or a credit card account closed altogether during a 60-day period stretching from mid-May to mid-July, according to a survey from CompareCards: 70 million

Percentage who said they had their credit limit reduced on at least one card in the past 60 days: 34

Source: CompareCards.

As the pandemic continues, percentage of shoppers who are more cautious than optimistic about the future, according to a COVID-19 grocery shopper research report from Acosta: 64

Percentage who are looking ahead with optimism: 24

Percentage of shoppers who say they have found time for more relaxation during the pandemic: 53

Percentage who reported that they are sleeping more: 40

Source: Acosta.

While 68% of Americans see dining out as a high- or moderate-risk activity, percentage who report doing it in the last week, according to the ABC News/Ipsos poll: 30

Source: Ipsos.

Idle Thought

"I know what I have given you. I do not know what you have received." -- Antonio Porchia

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