Percentage of employees who use emojis at least once a day, according to a survey by Clutch: 40

Percentage who rely on emojis to convey tone and visualize emotions better in workplace communications: 31

Percentage who say it is very unprofessional to use emojis in work emails: 31

Source: Clutch.

Employee turnover rate for businesses in the U.S., according to Checkster: 28

Amount U.S. businesses may lose annually as a result of voluntary employee turnover: $1 trillion

Source: Checkster.

Of the 20 billion LEGO bricks that are manufactured every year, number of pieces per million that are found to be defective, according to research by Alex Daniel of BESTLIFE: 18

Source: BESTLIFE.

Percentage by which anxiety levels have dropped in the U.S. (worldwide they are the lowest since April 2020), according to a survey by Deloitte: 10

Percentage of consumers who plan to spend the same or more on apparel and restaurants in the coming weeks: 75

Source: Deloitte.

Percentage of American households with an income over $100,000 who actually increased their savings during the pandemic, according to a survey by LendingTree: 59

Percentage who had decreased savings: 17

Percentage of those earning less than $35,000 who had decreased savings: 41

Source: Lending Tree.

Percentage of Americans who said in January 2021 that they washed their hands six to 15 times a day, compared to just 37% in January 2020, according to the Bradley Corp.: 57

Percentage of Americans who just wave to say hello: 53

Percentage of who elbow bump: 29

Percentage who air hug: 16

Source: Bradley Corp.

Percentage of potential travelers who would be as likely or more likely to travel to a destination with a provider that requires proof of the COVID-19 vaccine (such as a vaccine passport), according to a study by The Points Guy: 76

Percentage of those with a desire to travel who are likely to get the COVID-19 vaccine or are already vaccinated: 74

Source: The Points Guy.

Percentage of Americans working from home today who want flexibility in the amount of time they spend in their office when they return, according to the Ipsos survey: 72

Percentage who say they feel more productive with a flexible schedule: 70

Percentage who want to return to the office occasionally: 62

Percentage of workers who say that if their employer required them to return to the office full time, they would look for another job with more flexibility: 42

Source: Ipsos.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people's finances, estimated number of Americans who say they cannot afford another year like 2020, according to a WalletHub survey: 145 million

Percentage increase in Americans' worries about money this year, surpassing COVID-19 as being the top stressor in America: 15

Source: WalletHub.

Number of distinct consumer groups that have emerged as a result of the pandemic, according to research by Acosta: 4

Percentage of shoppers who fall into the "Panic Button" group -- has high COVID concern and has made significant and swift changes, like stocking up and shopping online: 21

Percentage who fall into the "Hunkering Down" segment -- having made moderate changes, including shopping less and spending less: 28

Percentage of shoppers who are in the "Social Distancers" segment -- made only small changes, like buying more groceries than usual: 28

Source: Acosta.

Idle Thought

"The man who has begun to live more seriously within begins to live more simply without." -- Ernest Hemingway

Percentage of Americans who describe themselves as either male or female, regardless of age, according to a new Ipsos poll: 99

Percentage of baby boomers who say they are only attracted to the opposite sex: 84

Ranks of Generation Xers (76%), millennials (60%), Gen Zers (52%) on the list of those who say the same: 2, 3, 4

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of female shoppers who are using less cosmetics than before COVID, according to a survey by Acosta: 35 to 40

Source: Acosta.

Percentage of senior managers who say they recruited the wrong candidate for a role, according to a survey by Robert Half: 76

Number of months it takes to correct a hiring mistake: 4

Ranks of wasted time and decreased morale and productivity as the biggest impacts of a bad hire: 1, 2

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of Americans who say they have permanently changed their spending and shopping habits, according to a new survey commissioned by Slickdeals: 60

Ranks of movies, luxury goods, video games, clothes and entertainment as the things Americans are doing less of: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of groceries, self-care products, bills, takeout and health care on the list of things Americans are spending more on: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Slickdeals.

Ranks of more trees and more cycle lanes on the list of policies that will reduce air pollution, according to research by Global Wellness Institute: 1, 2

Number of miles of bike lanes added in Colombia's capital, Bogota, reducing particulate pollution by up to 80% in these areas: 50

In addition to better walking networks, number of trees planted (with an additional 400,000 trees preserved) in Bogota, helping to substantially reduce air pollution: 800,000

Source: Global Wellness Institute.

Rank of Orlando on the list of the most popular domestic destinations among Americans for spring break, with other Floridian cities filling up the Top 10 chart -- Miami (No. 3), Fort Lauderdale (No. 4), Fort Myers (No. 6) and Tampa (No. 7), according to an Allianz Partners' survey: 1

Percentage of customers who always travel or travel most of the time for spring break who are planning a trip for the 2021 season: 43

Source: Allianz Global Assistance USA.

In 2016, amount the iconic sparkly dress that Marilyn Monroe wore to serenade President John F. Kennedy on his birthday was sold for, according to research by Alex Daniel of BESTLIFE: $4.8 million

Source: BESTLIFE.

While 70% of employers said they discuss substance impairment during employee onboarding, percentage who discuss other forms of impairment, such as fatigue, mental health and stress, according to a National Safety Council survey: 47

In previous research by the NSC, percentage of employers who were negatively impacted by tired, fatigued employees: 90

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of women who say their tax refund is "very important" for their financial well-being, compared to just 35% of men: 51

Percentage of those who had their income impacted by COVID-19 who say their refund is "very important," versus just 30% of those whose income wasn't impacted: 53

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of successful advisers and financial professionals who expect the profitability of their practice to increase in the next 12 months, according to a survey by Nationwide: 57

Percentage who expected the profitability of their practice to increase in 2019: 81

Rank of COVID-19 on the list of concerns for their practice: 1

Source: Nationwide.

Idle Thought

"Never underestimate the determination of a kid who is time rich and cash poor." -- Cory Doctorow, author and journalist

Percentage of shoppers who have at least one retail membership, according to a survey by Acosta: 77

Percentage who reported having an Amazon Prime membership: 62

Percentage of shoppers who reported joining Walmart Plus since the COVID-19 pandemic began: 42

Source: Acosta.

Number of folds on a chef's toque, said to represent the number of ways to cook an egg, though an investigation by Bon Appetit failed to track down where that saying originated, according to research by Alex Daniel of Best Life: 100

Source: Best Life.

Percentage of all U.S. adults expecting tax refunds who say their refund is important for their overall financial well-being right now, according to a survey by Bankrate: 73

Percentage of those living in lower-income households who say the refund is "very important," up from 42% last year: 61

Ranks of savings, debt payoff and putting most of it toward day-to-day expenses on the list of where most Americans who anticipate getting tax refunds plan to put the bulk of the money: 1, 2, 3

Source: Bankrate.com.

Amount of credit card debt that Americans paid off in 2020 (a major accomplishment, considering that consumers have added an average of $54.2 billion in credit card debt per year over the past 10 years), according to WalletHub's latest Credit Card Debt Study: $82.9 billion

Average household credit card balance at the end of 2020: $8,089

Percentage of people who plan to go on a spending spree when the COVID-19 pandemic is over: 10

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of people who say they got a new pet during the pandemic, according to a survey from Banfield Pet Hospital: 33

Of these, approximate percentage who said they were able to bond more with their pet at this time: 80

Source: Banfield Pet Hospital.

Percentage of Americans who say that post-COVID-19, they are most looking forward to not having to think about coronavirus or social distancing, according to Ipsos research: 74

Percentage who say they are most looking forward to not wearing a mask in public places: 72

Percentage who say meeting with friends and family outside your household: 62

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Number of Americans who died in motor vehicle crashes in 2020, an 8% increase over 2019 in a year when people drove significantly less frequently because of the pandemic, according to preliminary data from the National Safety Council: 42,060

Estimated percentage spike in the rate of death on the roads last year over the previous 12-month period, despite the number of miles driven having dropped 13%: 24

An estimated number of roadway users who were seriously injured in crashes in 2020, at an estimated cost to society of $474 billion: 4.8 million

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of U.S. workers who want employers to delay reopening until vaccines are widely available to employees, according to Eagle Hill research: 42

Percentage who say employers should offer vaccine incentives: 57

Percentage who say employees should be required to take a COVID-19 test before entering the workplace, while 37% say testing should be encouraged: 26

Source: Eagle Hill Consulting.

Number of U.S. households that have cut the cord on their home's broadband service, according to research by Parks Associates: 12 million

Number of households in the U.S. that have only a mobile broadband service: 15 million

Source: Parks Associates.

As this March marks one year of remote learning for many teachers, parents and students, percentage of teachers who report being passionate or very passionate about teaching now vs. 93% who felt the same pre-pandemic, according to results from Study.com research: 91

Percentage of teachers who reported that confidence in teaching online grew significantly, despite many of them indicating they could have used more training to teach in an online environment: 96

Source: Study.com.

Idle Thought

"Silence will save me from being wrong (and foolish), but it will also deprive me of the possibility of being right." -- Igor Stravinsky, composer (1881-1971)

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