Percentage of global GDP that money launderers move (accounting for at least $1.6 trillion), according to The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition: 2.7

Dollar value of private wealth held in secret jurisdictions and tax havens, and representing 10% of global GDP: $7 trillion

In addition to this, amount that governments lose annually as a result of companies' profit-shifting plans: $500 to $650 billion

Source: The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition.

Percentage of American women, ages 18 and older, who believe men have it easier in this country these days, according to a National Geographic/Ipsos poll: 53

Percentage who believe women have it easier: 6

Rank of balancing family and career on the list of the biggest problems facing women today: 1

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Chance that American families have student loan debt, with more than 40% of families with heads aged younger than 35 years old having student loan debt in 2019, according to the Employee Benefits Research Institute: 1 in 5

Source: EBRI.

Percentage of workers who said they prefer that their employer require employees to be vaccinated before returning to the office, according to a survey by CHG Healthcare: 44

Though many workers want to remain remote, despite the availability of a vaccine, percentage who plan to adopt a hybrid at-home/in-office work schedule: 50 plus

Source: CHG Healthcare.

Percentage of American shoppers who think "normal" is more than a year away, according to pandemic research by Acosta: 35

Percentage of shoppers who reported cooking more at home: 65

Percentage who reported spending less time in stores: 53

Percentage who reported spending more money per shopping trip: 48

Ranks of product availability (60%), low prices (52%) and customer safety (42%) on the list of top post-pandemic priorities for shoppers: 1, 2, 3

Source: Acosta.

Percentage of American consumers surveyed by Packaged Facts who agree that they are planting a food garden this year because of the pandemic: 26

Source: Packaged Facts.

Percentage of companies that are allowing workers to make a permanent move, according to Robert Half research: 38

Percentage of workers who cited change of scenery as a motivation to move: 37

Percentage who said lower cost of living: 22

Source: Robert Half Finance and Accounting.

Number of Americans (almost 1 in 5 adults) who think they will miss at least one credit card due date in 2021, according to a new WalletHub credit cards survey: 47 million

Amount the average American household already owes to credit card companies: $7,800

Percentage more Americans who have tried to get a credit card late fee waived compared to the past year: 16

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of reporters and editors who said social media sources were slightly less or much less reliable than traditional media, with 49% saying social media suffers from lack of fact-checking, verification and reporting standards, according to a survey conducted by Cision and Don Bates of the George Washington University Masters Degree Program in Strategic Public Relations: 84

Percentage of editors and reporters who said they depend on PR professionals for interviews and access to sources and experts: 44

Source: Cision.

Percentage of consumers in U.S. broadband households who want a telehealth service that uses data from connected health devices, according to Parks Associates research: 52

Among those who have experienced COVID-19 symptoms, percentage who find such an approach appealing: 71

Source: Parks Associates.

Idle Thought

"Everybody needs his memories. They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door." -- Saul Bellow, writer, Nobel laureate (1915-2005)

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

Percentage of Americans who say their desire to travel impacts their willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine (including 26% who say it has a major impact on their inclination to be vaccinated), according to a study from the Points Guy at Bankrate.com: 49

Percentage of U.S. adults who already have at least one trip planned for 2021: 33

Percentage of Americans who have not taken any trips since the COVID-19 outbreak: 55

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of retirees who reported that they planned to spend down all or a significant portion of their assets in retirement -- the rest reported wanting to spend down a small portion of assets, spend none at all or to grow their assets, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute: 43

Percentage who agreed that saving as much as they can makes them feel happy and fulfilled: 64

Percentage of retirees who said that maintaining health and wellness in retirement was by far the most important goal at the time people retired: 81

Source: EBRI.

Percentage of Americans who said a high-tech home theater would make a home more desirable, according to a realtor.com survey: 26

Percentage who would want TVs that pop up out of dressers or drop down from the ceiling: 18

Percentage who selected a high-tech massage chair: 15

Percentage who were interested in an automatic cocktail maker: 6

Source: realtor.com.

Percentage of Americans at the end of 2020 who believed the nation is "great," down from 51% in 2017, according to an Ipsos poll: 37

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of people who believe two workers with the same job title should have the same level of responsibility, according to a survey report by Clutch: 66

Percentage of employees who say that their job title accurately reflects their work and responsibility: 23

Percentage of people who work at companies that have employees with one to five different job titles, while one-quarter work at companies with more than 20 job titles: 31

Source: Clutch.

Percentage of employers who are concerned about mental health and chronic stress impacting fitness for duty (in addition to persistent concerns around legal and illicit substance misuse), according to a National Safety Council survey: 90

In the 12-month period ending in May 2020, number of fatal drug overdoses in the U.S., the highest number ever recorded: 81,000

Percentage of employers surveyed by NSC that said they know impairment is decreasing the safety of their workforce: 52

Source: National Safety Council.

Ranks of the Kia Soul, the Toyota Corolla Hatchback and the Mazda 3 on the list of the 10 Coolest Cars Under $20,000 for 2021, according to the Kelley Blue Book: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of the Ford Bronco Sport, Mazda MX-5 Miata and Jeep Wrangler on the list of the 10 Coolest Cars Under $30,000 for 2021: 1, 2, 3

Source: Kelley Blue Book.

Percentage of pet owners who are paying closer attention to their pets' health and wellness because of COVID-19, according to market research firm Packaged Facts: 41

Estimated percentage rise in pet supplement sales in 2020 -- reaching nearly $800 million and quadrupling the rate of growth seen in 2019: 21

Source: Packaged Facts.

Forecast percentage jump in the revenue of the global IoT (Internet of Things) market, according to data presented by BuyShares.co.nz: 53

Estimated revenue of the global IoT by 2025: $677 billion

By 2030, projected value of the unified market: $1 trillion plus

Source: BuyShares.co.nz.

Percentage of CFOs who collaborate with their company's CIO more now than three years ago, according to a survey by Robert Half: 82

Ranks of technology investments, business systems changes, staff technology training and cybersecurity on the list of the top collaboration areas for CFOs and CIOs: 1, 2, 3 (tie)

Percentage of finance and tech leaders who are also partnering on digital transformation efforts for their company: 39

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Idle Thought

"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts." -- Arthur Conan Doyle, physician and writer

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

Percentage of partnered millennials and Gen Zers who have been mad at their partner for a financial decision they made, according to a survey by MagnifyMoney by LendingTree: 74

Ranks of their partner making a big purchase without telling them about it and spending a lot of money on something the respondent considers to be frivolous on the list of the top argument drivers: 1, 2

Source: LendingTree.

Time that employees waste completing HR-related tasks each month across large companies in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, according to a survey issued by Topia and conducted by Method Research: 40 million hours

Estimated amount lost in productivity: $8.15 billion

Source: Topia.

Average amount that kids aged 4 to 14 received in allowance in 2020 ($8.75 a week), according to RoosterMoney's Annual Kids' Allowance Report: $455

Percentage that they saved: 45

Source: RoosterMoney.

Period that a strain of influenza known as Spanish flu caused a global pandemic, spreading rapidly and killing indiscriminately, according to Live Science: 1918 to 1920

Estimated number of people worldwide who were infected: 500 million

Estimated number who died: 50 million

From 1981 to present, estimated number of people who have died of AIDS since HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was identified: 35 million

As of Feb. 7, estimated number of people worldwide who had been infected with COVID-19: 106,541,162

Estimated number who had died: 2,324,246

Source: Live Science

Estimated percentage of Americans who said they canceled up to four trips (leisure and business) last year, according to a survey from IHG Hotels and Resorts: 60

Percentage of those travelers who said they have now rebooked canceled trips or plan to rebook them, with family vacations and visiting loved ones topping travel wish lists for 2021: 50

Percentage of respondents who said they plan to make up for the lack of travel in 2020 by going on more trips in 2021: 20

Source: IHG Hotels and Resorts.

Percentage of Americans who do not expect to get back to something like their normal, pre-COVID life for at least six months (around late summer), according to findings from an Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index: 65

Percentage who believe it will not happen until next year: 33

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Projected growth in the global gambling market -- from $465.76 billion in 2020 to $516.03 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.8%, according to a Research and Markets report: $50.27 billion

Projected value of the market in 2025 at a CAGR of 7%: $674.7 billion

Percentage of the market accounted for by Asia and the Pacific, the largest region in the global gambling market in 2020: 38

Percentage accounted for by North America, the second largest region: 29

Source: Research and Markets.

When consumers were informed that only the first and last 10 minutes of their most recent flight were likely controlled by a pilot and the rest was autonomous, percentage who said that they would feel much safer in a fully autonomous plane, according to a global survey commissioned by ANSYS: 3

Percentage who said they would definitely or probably be willing to ride in a flying taxi: 63

Source: ANSYS.

Percentage of renters who said they worried their packages would be stolen from their doorstep (41% reported that packages actually had been stolen from their doorsteps multiple times), according to a survey by ButterflyMX and Entrata: 89

Percentage of renters who complain about parking and accessibility issues -- whether it's finding a place to park (74%) or finding someone else has parked in their spot (28%): 53

Source: ButterflyMX.

Percentage of Americans who say the COVID-19 pandemic has caused them to put off general dental checkups, which can lead to serious oral health problems, according to a survey commissioned by the American Association of Endodontists: 50

Percentage who said they were snacking more on sweets: 31

Percentage who didn't schedule or forgot to schedule a dental visit: 28

Source: American Association of Endodontists.

Idle Thought

"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers." -- Thomas Pynchon, novelist

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