Percentage of Americans who plan on traveling to visit family for the holidays -- with more than two-thirds reporting they will be traveling by car or RV, according to an RVshare survey: 47

Though 55% of people are less confident about their holiday travel plans compared to last year, percentage who have already decided they will not be flying over the holidays: 80

Source: RVshare.

Percentage of same-gender newlyweds who took a "buddymoon," compared to 23% of different-gender newlyweds, according to research by Brides.com: 42

Percentage of same-gender newlyweds who said they never wanted to marry prior to meeting their partner, compared with just 9% of different-gender newlyweds: 23

Percentage of men who deemed their wedding day a lifelong dream, compared to 27% of women: 32

Source: Brides.com.

Ranks of updating their resumes, reaching out for career help, developing new skills through free training and exploring a career change on the list of top actions to improve career prospects, according to a survey by Champlain College Online: 1, 2, 3, 4

When asked questions about the current employment and economic landscape, percentage of respondents who agreed that staying current and developing new skills is a requirement in today's competitive job market: 78

Source: Champlain College.

Percentage of remote workers who admit to bad behavior while participating in virtual brainstorm meetings from home (and 1 in 10 have used the bathroom while on a call), according to a study released by Lucid: 62

Percentage of remote workers who met with their colleagues in person against company protocol over the past few months: 17

Percentage of the folks in the C-suite who were the worst offenders: 43

Source: Lucid Marketing.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have reused online passwords, the most common questionable behavior when ensuring personal data security, according to a new report from Bankrate.com: 80

In the past year, ranks of saving passwords on a computer or phone, saving payment information on a computer or phone, using public Wi-Fi and using an ATM somewhere other than a financial institution on the list of questionable behaviors: 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage of U.S. adults who have received a false fraud alert concerning one of their credit or debit cards: 43

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of U.S. workers who are contemplating professional or lifestyle changes that will impact the workplace going forward, according to a survey by Weber Shandwick and United Minds: 61

Percentage who say they plan to work from home full or part time in the future: 41

Percentage of workers with children who say they plan to work from home full or part time in the future: 52

Source: Weber Shandwick.

Percentage of women who have been discriminated against due to their hairstyle, according to research by All Things Hair: 44.3

Percentage who have been told their hairstyles are not professional: 46.5

Percentage of women who feel pressured to wear their hair differently at work: 52.3

Source: All Things Hair.

Percentage of people across the world who feel that life will never be the same again, an increase of 5% since April, according to Cigna's latest research: 18

Percentage of people in the United States who say the same: 25

Percentage of people in Mainland China who say the same: 5

Source: Cigna Corp.

Percentage of Americans who are spending more time at home than ever before, with the resulting behavior changes creating unforeseen health consequences, like physical pain, constipation and even hemorrhoids, according to research commissioned by Preparation H: 80

Percentage of respondents who reveal they've experienced new aches and pains due to how inactive they've become since the quarantine began: 60

Percentage of Americans who feel they are now living a more sedentary lifestyle: 63

Source: Preparation H.

Of those parents already schooling from home during COVID, percentage who are home-schooling with a parent/caregiver as the primary educator, according to a survey by homeschoolExpert.com: 21

Percentage who are schooling online through a public school: 74

Percentage who are schooling online through a private school: 5

Source: Homeschool Expert.

Idle Thought

"An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, prisoner of style, prisoner of reputation, prisoner of success, etc." -- Henri Matisse, artist

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

Percentage of employees who say working from home gives them more time with family/better work-life balance, according to Owl Labs/Global Workplace Analytics' Report: 72

Percentage who cited increased productivity/better focus: 70

Source: Owl Labs.

Percentage of moms who say that helping their child learn to be their most authentic self is most important—more important than raising a successful high-achiever or a person of high intelligence, according to Meredith Corp.'s first-ever parents values study: 28

Percentage of moms who are confident in their parenting and rate their skills as excellent or very good: 51

Source: Meredith.

In 2016, the percentage of voting age citizens who cast a vote in the U.S. general election, according to Pew Research: 61

Date upon which early voting in the 2020 general election surpassed 50% of the total vote in the U.S. election in 2016: Oct. 27

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Percentage of U.S. shoppers who say that free standard shipping is the No. 1 service they expect from brands and retailers this holiday season, according to findings from Episerver: 83

Source: Episerver.

Percentage of Americans who say they have achieved the American Dream, according to a survey by Zogby: 24

Percentage who said it is within reach: 26

Percentage who said it was slipping away: 19

Percentage who have lost hope: 18

Source: Zogby International.

Percentage of Americans who say that their cellphone is their most important belonging during the pandemic, according to a WalletHub survey: 50

Percentage of Americans who plan to reduce the cost of their cellphone due to the COVID-19 pandemic: 35

Source: WalletHub.

Between February 2020 and June 2020, the number by which unemployed individuals increased, from 2 million to 17.9 million, according to the Employment Benefits Research Institute: 15.9 million

Of those workers who lost jobs, number who also lost employer-sponsored health insurance: 7.7 million

Number of dependents for whom they are responsible: 6.9 million

Source: EBRI.

Percentage of Americans who report they won't be traveling to see friends and family this year, according to a survey by Travelocity: 60

Percentage who said they have a personal vacation planned later this year: 25

Source: Expedia.

Percentage of parents with children who believe it is important to be proficient with tech, according to a survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of VTech: 88

Percentage who believe technology will shape who their child becomes: 87

Percentage who think technology allows their child to be creative in new and different ways, with the same number believing outlets for creative self-expression are important for their child's development: 85

Source: VTech Electronics.

Idle Thought

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity." -- Louis Pasteur, chemist and bacteriologist

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

Percentage of millennial moms and young parents who say that Halloween 2020 is more important than ever, according to data from the National Confectioners Association: 74

Percentage of parents who indicate they have taken candy from their children after a night of trick-or-treating: 79

Percentage who will participate in trick-or-treating, whether handing out the candy or going out with their children: 66

Source: National Confectioners Association

Percentage of Americans who believe science benefits them, according to researchamerica.org: 88

Percentage who believe America should maintain its global leadership in science: 89

Percentage who support incentives for private sector investment in science and technology: 76

Source: Research America.

Size of the food gifting market in the U.S., according to Packaged Facts: $21 billion

Percentage of people buying food gifts for others who purchased a food gift for Halloween: 20

Source: Packaged Facts.

Percentage of parents with children aged 3 to 12 years old who are impressed by how quickly their child picks up new technology, according to a survey conducted on behalf of VTech: 85

Percentage of parents who believe their child will have more opportunities than they did because they grew up with technology: 82

Percentage who believe it is important for children to be introduced to technology at a young age: 78

Source: VTech Electronics

Percentage of adults between the ages of 25 and 34 who believe an event such as contracting COVID-19 or experiencing a critical violent incident could prevent them from fulfilling their life goals in their education or career, according to research by Zogby: 64

Percentage of the nation's teens who said the same: 54

Percentage of parents who feel that their child's school is more dangerous today than it was six months ago: 52

Percentage of adults feel the same about their workplace: 41

Source: Zogby International

Percentage of managers who say that remote work has made their teams less creative, according to a study released by Lucid: 26

Percentage of C-suite respondents who reported their company was forced to delay major launches, campaigns or initiatives as a result of employees working from home (WFH) and collaborating virtually: 43

Percentage of managers who rated employee productivity as their top concern with employees WFH: 80

Rank of collaboration on the list of areas that employees say has been negatively affected by WFH: 1

Source: Lucid Marketing

With respect to horror villains, percentage of Americans who consider Leatherface from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" to be the scariest, according to an Ipsos poll: 22

Percentage who chose Jason from "Friday the 13th" series: 20

If they were trapped in a horror movie, percentage of Americans say they would want Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) from "Alien" to protect them: 24

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of Americans who say they have made progress on their top financial priority, while 17% have not made progress and 9% have fallen further behind, according to a new survey by Bankrate.com: 71

Of those just trying to get caught up or stay current on the bills, percentage who have made progress: 65

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of Americans who feel positive when they think about their future, according to a survey by Champlain College: 66

Percentage of American adults with children in their household who were more optimistic about their career prospects than those without children living at home (51%): 63

Source: Champlain College.

Percentage of Americans who believe the pandemic is the greatest threat to the U.S. economy in the next six months, according to a survey by bankrate.com: 44

Percentage who are most concerned about the outcome of the election: 34

Source: Bankrate.com.

Idle Thought

"If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants." -- Isaac Newton, philosopher and mathematician

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