oddities

Figuratively Speaking for April 02, 2021

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | April 2nd, 2021

Percentage more likely that divorced people have nothing in their retirement accounts compared to married people, according to a MagnifyMoney study from LendingTree: 23

Number of times less that divorced people have in their retirement accounts ($15,083) compared to married people ($107,011): 7

Source: LendingTree.

Percentage of Americans who say their daily life has been interrupted by a lack of sleep in the past month, according to ValuePenguin: 76

Of that group, percentage who say a lack of sleep led to difficulty completing work: 46

Percentage who have trouble concentrating: 49

Percentage who say their lack of sleep caused irritability with loved ones: 39

Source: ValuePenguin.com.

Among Americans with a child aged 0 to 17 who report feeling judged as parents, either very often (15%), fairly often (24%) or sometimes (53%), according to a global survey by Ipsos: 92

Ranks of how they manage their children's behavior (58%) and their children's behavior (50%) on the list of the top reasons given by American parents for why people are judging them: 1, 2

Ranks of things their children can or cannot do (39%), being too strict (35%) and how much time their children spend on screens and using technology (29%) on the list: 3, 4, 5

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of U.S. adults who agree (18% strongly agree, and 29% somewhat agree) that the stock market is rigged against individual investors, according to a report from Bankrate.com: 48

Among those invested in the market (including those invested through retirement plans), percentage who agree it is rigged against individual investors: 56

Source: Bankrate.com.

Rank of "The American Dream" on the list of reasons why millennials want to buy a home, according to a new realtor.com survey: 1

Percentage of first-time would-be buyers who are held back by not having enough money for down payment: 44

Percentage of millennials (and 45% of Gen Z) who say a desire to be a homeowner is the main reason they are buying a home: 59

Source: realtor.com.

Number of times per week that most people in the U.S. enjoy chocolate and candy, about 40 calories per day and about one teaspoon of added sugar per day, according to the National Confectioners Association's seasonal confectionery sales: 2 to 3

Source: National Confectioners Association.

Percentage of high school students and parents who are concerned that the student won't have an ideal college experience, according to a survey by ArtsBridge: 62

Looking back at the 2020-2021 academic year, despite a "nontraditional" college experience, percentage of college freshmen who say they would do it over again: 82

Ranks of "lack of social life/difficulty meeting people" (71%) and "struggling with the negative effects of the pandemic on their mental health" (51%) on the list of COVID-19-added college student life challenges, according to college freshmen who are finishing out their first collegiate year: 1, 2

Source: ArtsBridge.

Average amount that consumers spent this Easter, the highest figure on record, according to results of the annual survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights and Analytics: $179.70

Amount the 79% of Americans who celebrate the holiday will have spent collectively: $21.6 billion

Source: NRF.

Percentage of people who believe receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will make them feel safe enough to travel again, according to a survey by Allianz Partners: 67

To feel safe again, percentage of respondents who would require the wearing of face masks on airplanes and in airports: 66

Source: Allianz Global Assistance USA.

Percentage of gold production accounted for by only three countries (China, Australia, Russia), according to Finbold.com: 31

Ranks of Australia, Russia, the United States, South Africa and Peru on the list of countries with the largest remaining unmined gold reserves: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Indonesia, Brazil and Canada: 6, 7, 8

Source: Finbold.com.

Idle Thought

"There's no money in poetry, but then there's no poetry in money, either." -- Robert Graves, poet and novelist

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for March 26, 2021

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | March 26th, 2021

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for March 19, 2021

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | March 19th, 2021

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

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