Percentage of shoppers who are sick of having to cook more during the pandemic, while 35% of shoppers found a new passion for cooking during the pandemic, according to a research report from Acosta: 25

Percentage of Americans who say planning different meals every day was one of the biggest challenges faced when meal planning: 40

Source: Acosta.

Percentage of Americans who are considering tapping their 401(k) given the economic climate, according to the Retirement Confidence Index from SimplyWise: 27

Source: SimplyWise

Percentage of Americans who would rather give up alcohol instead of their favorite comfort food dish, according to a survey conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Farm Rich: 67

Rank of steak on the list of the comfort food meal everyone is most looking forward to enjoying at a restaurant post-pandemic: 1

Source: Farm Rich.

Percentage of moms who say they plan on making their family's Halloween costumes, according to a survey by Zulily: 34

Percentage who will whip up spooky treats in the kitchen rather than spend money on store-bought sweets: 31

Source: Zulily.

Percentage of respondents who would rather wait at the DMV than do their least-favorite cleaning task, according to a survey by Jelmar for CLR: 41

Percentage of American adults who have found themselves cleaning their homes more frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic: 60

Percentage who have tackled a cleaning task they’ve been avoiding for years during the pandemic: 53

Source: Jelmar.

Ranks of kindness, love of family, intelligence, strong work ethic and individuality on the list of qualities moms most hope to instill in their children, according to Meredith Corp.'s first-ever parents values study: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage of moms who say kids today are less kind than past generations: 76

Percentage who say that showing their child how to be compassionate and kind is the most important task of parenthood: 50

Source: Meredith Corp.

Percentage of countries that included "birdsong" in their top-three valued sounds out of a total of 20, according to a global survey conducted by hearing aid maker Widex: 75

When prompted about which sounds in nature specifically were most important, percentage who listed birdsong: 42

In the eight nations surveyed, number of countries whose residents identified birdsong as their top natural sound: 8

In the U.K., rank of birdsong on the list of the most valued sound across all categories, including music and voices: 1

Source: Widex.

Amount the average employee has saved while working remotely through COVID-19, according to Owl Labs/Global Workplace Analytics Report: $479.20

Extra number of hours per month the average employee worked remotely through COVID-19: 26

Percentage of full-time workers across the United States who, afraid of getting COVID-19, would prefer to work from home: 79

Percentage who say working from home allows them to avoid the commute: 79

Percentage who said working from home reduces stress: 74

Source: Owl Labs.

Percentage of couples who said the pandemic has changed their expectations for their wedding, according to research by Brides.com: 81

Percentage who said that living through the pandemic has made them want to marry their significant other more: 82

Percentage of couples who had to postpone their wedding due to COVID-19: 66

Percentage who still decided to have a wedding during the pandemic: 36

Source: Brides.com.

Percentage of the global workforce whose mental health has been negatively affected by COVID-19, according to a study by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence: 78

Despite perceived drawbacks of remote work, percentage of people who find remote work more appealing now than they did before the pandemic, citing they now have more time to spend with family (51%), sleep (31%) and get work done (30%): 62

Source: Oracle CX.

Idle Thought

"You have not converted a man because you have silenced him." -- John Morley, statesman and writer

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

Percentage of workers younger than 65 who are retired (while 8% of workers younger than 65 are semi-retired), according to the results from a new MoneyRates.com survey: 21.6

Percentage of those who retired or semi-retired before age 65 who started saving for retirement by age 40: 66.9

Of respondents 65 or older, percentage who are still working full- or part-time: 16.2

Source: MoneyRates.com.

Of the 79% of small-business owners who suspended or reduced operations due to the pandemic, percentage who have since been able to completely resume operations, according to a survey by LendingTree: 13

Percentage who have been able to somewhat resume: 63

Percentage of small-business owners who said their gross revenue has decreased by 51% or more due to the pandemic: 43

Source: LendingTree.

Percentage of consumers who say the virus is impacting their Halloween celebration plans, with overall participation down to 58%, according to a National Retail Federation survey: 75

Projected consumer spending, down slightly from $8.78 billion in 2019, due to the drop in participation: $8.05 million

Source: NRF.

Percentage of businesses that have cut workers since the start of the pandemic, according to a PNC survey: almost 40

Of those, percentage who say the decrease is considered temporary or a furlough: 87

Percentage of the businesses who had temporary layoffs or furloughs who have begun rehiring: 58

Source: PNC Financial Services Group.

Percentage of registered drivers ages 25 and older across the country who said they are "very willing" to wear a mask in public, according to a survey by the National Safety Council and Truce Software: 76

Percentage who said they are "very willing" to obey a state law preventing cellphone use: 62

Percentage of drivers who said they would need to be involved in a near-miss -- and 59% said they would have to be involved in a fatal crash -- to be dissuaded from using technology while driving: 61

Source: National Safety Council.

This fall, percentage of students who traded their classrooms for their bedrooms to attend school virtually, according to research by Clutch: 62

Ranks of computers (27%), internet services (23%), webcams (21%) and microphones (16%) in place of pencils and notebooks this year on the list of added expenses these students face: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of students who used educational learning apps in the past year to supplement their education and this will assume a larger role in education as online learning persists: 95

Source: Clutch.

Percentage of Americans who rate their own personal health insurance coverage as "excellent" or "good," according to the results of a healthinsurance.com survey: 64

Percentage of employed Americans who said they were reluctant to switch jobs and sacrifice their current health insurance: 38

Percentage who say they or close family or friends have lost their health insurance during the pandemic: 25

Source: healthinsurance.com.

Percentage of senior managers in the U.S. who said their organization has hired full-time or temporary staff remotely since the pandemic began, according to a survey by Robert Half: 53

Of managers who hired, percentage who conducted remote interviews and onboarding sessions: 75

Percentage who advertised fully remote jobs: 61

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of women who are now considering leaving the workforce or downshifting their careers due to COVID-19, according to a report by McKinsey & Co. and LeanIn.Org: 25

Percentage of companies that now say more jobs can be performed remotely: 93

Percentage that predict a significant share of their employees will work remotely a year from now: 67

Percentage of employees who say they want to continue to work from home more often than they did before COVID-19: 77

Source: LeanIn.Org.

Percentage of Americans who have at least one smart home device, according to research by LendingTree: 65

Ranks of speakers, thermostats and lighting on the list of the most popular smart home devices: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of men who have a smart home device versus 49% of women: 82

Source: ValuePenguin.com.

Idle thought

"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed." -- Steve Biko, anti-apartheid activist

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

Percentage of Americans who are spending 30 more minutes each day cooking in the kitchen compared to the same time last year, according to a survey conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Farm Rich: 30

Percentage who reach for comfort food to bring happiness: 41

Percentage who have gained a few pounds staying at home -- an extra six pounds on average: 85

Source: Farm Rich.

Percentage of American adults who have a least-favorite cleaning task, or "mess nemesis," according to a survey by Jelmar for CLR: 88

Percentage who have dodged their least-favorite cleaning task in one way or another, some leaving the task to a family member or housemate, or even to a completely different homeowner: 61

Percentage who have dodged their least-favorite cleaning task by moving to a new home: 4

Percentage who have ignored it: 25

Source: Jelmar.

Percentage of Americans who say it is not very likely or not at all likely they would get the first-generation COVID-19 vaccine, while 39% report that they would, according to an Ipsos poll: 60

Percentage who say they will wait a few months after (30%) or a year or more (18%) after a vaccine is available: 48

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Estimated number of U.S. adults who plan to participate in Halloween-related activities this year, according to the National Retail Federation's annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics: 148 million

Rank of safe at-home activities on the list of priorities for celebrating the occasion: 1

Percentage who plan to decorate their homes: 53

Percentage who plan to carve a pumpkin: 46

Percentage who will dress up their pet: 18

Source: NRF.

Number of Americans who traveled during the Labor Day weekend, the highest passenger volume since March -- with the busiest day of travel up 30% from the July 4th holiday weekend, as reported by the Transportation Security Administration: 3 million

Source: FINN Partners.

Amid this year's historic coronavirus pandemic, percentage of small- and mid-size business owners and executives who reported that they have made adaptations to their business in response to COVID-19, including safety changes (69%), such as new policies and procedures (62%) or physical modifications (57%), and/or adopted work-from-home policies (33%), according to a PNC survey: 79

Percentage of businesses who report increased use of technology since the outbreak began: 51

Source: PNC Financial Services Group.

Percentage of moms who say they're up late at night to care for their children, according to a survey by Zulily: 17

Percentage who stay awake planning the future: 16

Percentage of moms who say they feel judged by other parents for their parenting decisions: 38

Source: Zulily.

Percentage of the U.S. population who are aware of the importance of sun protection and state they use sun protection during sun exposure, according to a survey by ISIDIN: 50.3

Percentage of Americans who use sunscreen with the objective of preventing sun spots and wrinkles: 52

Percentage who use it because of the worry of developing skin cancer: 27

Source: ISIDIN.

Percentage of Americans who said their opinion of the U.S. health care system has changed for the worse in the face of COVID-19, according to the results of a healthinsurance.com survey: 33

Percentage who said their opinion changed for the better: 14

Percentage who said they're afraid of contracting the virus because of health care costs: 33

Source: healthinsurance.com.

Percentage of business leaders who feel positive about the role that AI will play in the future, with the No. 1 expectation being that it will make business processes more efficient, according to a report published by information hub the AI Journal: 72

Percentage who have suggested that AI will help to create new business models: 55

Source: AI Journal.

Idle Thought

"Contentment is, after all, simply refined indolence." -- Thomas Chandler Haliburton, author, judge and politician (1776-1865)

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