Percentage of Americans who rank a Mother's Day meal as the No. 1 occasion when people should avoid checking their phones, according to survey commissioned by OpenTable: 73

Percentage of adults who say sharing a meal together is the most meaningful Mother's Day gift, followed by thoughtful conversation: 33

Source: OpenTable Inc.

Percentage of first-time homebuyers who haven't been able to find a home within their budget, according to a new Realtor.com survey: 33

Rank of location on the list of what prospective homeowners are looking for: 1

Percentage who have been searching for their home for more than a year: 43

Source: Realtor.com.

Estimated number of small businesses that closed permanently in 2020 due to COVID-19, according to research by WalletHub: 100,000

Percentage of small-business owners who say that 2020 was their most difficult year in business: 66

Source: WalletHub.

Projected Mother's Day spending this year, up $1.4 billion from 2020, according to the National Retail Federation: $28.1 billion

Average amount consumers plan to spend on Mother's Day items -- $16 more than they planned to spend last year and the highest in the survey's history: $220.48

Approximate percentage of U.S. adults who are expected to celebrate the holiday this year: 83

Source: NRF.

Percentage of Americans ages 18 to 54 who have three or more mother figures in their lives, according to a survey conducted by Edible Arrangements: 44

Of the "other mother" figures, ranks of friends, grandmothers and mothers-in-law on the list of the top "other mother" figures they look to the most: 1, 2(tie)

Source: Edible Arrangements.

Percentage of Americans who said they prefer soft taco shells, according to a survey by Ortega: 53

Percentage who prefer hard tacos shells: 47

Percentage of Americans (roughly 6.5 million) who have never eaten a taco before: 2

Rank of cheese on the list of America's favorite taco toppings: 1

Source: Ortega.

Percentage of consumers who said small businesses provide better customer service than larger businesses, according to the Cox Business Consumer Pulse on Small Businesses: 53

Percentage who said they prefer to interact with other people at checkout: 77

Source: Cox Communications.

Percentage of American adults who have delayed a financial milestone because of the pandemic, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 39

Percentage of millennials (ages 25 to 40) who say they've delayed a major milestone: 58

Percentage of Generation Zers (ages 18 to 24) who say the same: 54

Ranks of buying/leasing a car, purchasing a home, pursuing career advancement, furthering education, getting married and having children on the list of the most commonly delayed financial milestones: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (tie)

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of high school juniors and seniors who do not think college is worth the cost if they cannot attend classes in person, versus just 54% of parents with college-bound students, according to a survey by ArtsBridge: 64

Percentage of college professors who think college with remote learning is worth the cost: 72

Percentage of high school teachers, counselors and private instructors who don't think it's worth the price tag: 67

Source: ArtsBridge.

Percentage of working Americans who believe that employers should require vaccination proof for those employees returning to the workplace, according to Eagle Hill Consulting: 49

Percentage of workers who agree that employers should require vaccines: 48

Percentage who say nonvaccinated employees should not be permitted to work in person with co-workers: 35

Source: Eagle Hill Consulting.

Idle Thought

"I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it." -- Edith Sitwell, poet (1887-1964)

Percentage of people who say making a math mistake is their biggest Tax Day fear, according to research by WalletHub: 30

Percentage of Americans who would move to a different country for a tax-free future: 38

Percentage who would get an "IRS" tattoo for a tax-free future: 27

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of Americans who are most likely to describe their idea of the "perfect" body as being athletic, according to a survey conducted on behalf of RiverMend Health: 48.5

Percentage who would be willing to give up something they love if it meant they could achieve their perfect body overnight: 75

Percentage who would say goodbye to deep-fried foods: 45

Percentage who would trade in sex: 10

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of Americans who cited "love" as the No. 1 most important reason to get married, according to a Pew Research survey: 88

Ranks of making a lifelong commitment, companionship and having children on their list of reasons: 2, 3, 4

Ranks of shared interests, a satisfying sexual relationship and sharing household chores on the list of factors that lead to a successful marriage: 1, 2, 3

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

Percentage of people in daylight saving time-observing states who said time changes in either direction aren't a problem for them, according to a National Sleep Foundation survey: 70

Percentage who would stick with the current system of two clock changes during the calendar year: 25

Percentage who said they preferred year-round daylight saving time: 54

Source: National Sleep Foundation.

Percentage of workers who say it's common for employees to use company time for personal income tax preparation (e.g., printing paperwork, filling out forms, talking to their accountant), according to an Accountemps survey: 43

Percentage who say employees routinely use office resources to complete tax paperwork: 50

Source: Accountemps.

Ranks of Orlando, Maui, Honolulu, Seattle and Anchorage, Alaska, on the list of domestic locations Americans plan to travel to this summer after last summer's vacation plans were largely scuttled due to the pandemic, according to Allianz Partners: 1 ,2 ,3, 4, 5

Ranks of Cancun, Mexico; San Jose del Cabo, Mexico; Aruba; Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on the list of top destinations abroad: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Allianz Global Assistance.

Percentage of employees within U.S. small- and mid-market firms who expect to work from home at least till the end of 2021, according to a survey by Techaisle: 58

Encouraged by the increasing rate of vaccinations and economic recovery, percentage of firms that plan to bring back all employees to the office by early 2022: 67

Overall, percentage of mainstream businesses (1 to 5,000 employees) that feel unprepared for a long-term remote and hybrid work environment: 97

Source: Techaisle.

Percentage of professionals who admitted they would submit an application for a role when they don't match all the qualifications, according to a survey by Robert Half Technology: 78

Percentage of employees who have been offered a job when they didn't match the exact qualifications: 62

Percentage of HR managers who reported their company is open to hiring an employee whose skills can be developed through training: 84

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Projected worldwide IT spending in 2021, an increase of 4% from 2020, according to the latest forecast by Gartner Inc.: $3.8 trillion

Source: Gartner Inc.

Idle Thought

"When you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road." -- William Least Heat-Moon, travel writer

Percentage of millennials who ranked teeth as the No. 1 thing they would save or maintain about their body, compared to baby boomers' preference for saving their eyesight, according to a survey conducted by the American Association of Endodontists: 24

Percentage of women who feel strongly that saving their natural teeth helps them feel better about themselves, compared to 51% of men: 61

Source: American Association of Endodontists.

Rank of "online" on the list of places where singles most often meet, according to a survey by Match.com: 1

Percentage of singles who have had a "friend with benefits" relationship: 55

Percentage who have seen such a relationship turn serious: 45

Percentage who build the friendship first, known as hanging out, where they skip the sex and haven't gone out on an official first date: 40

Source: Match.com.

When visiting a friend or relative's house that is very cluttered, percentage of Americans who say they would suffer quietly, according to a survey by OfferUp: 46

Percentage who say they would avoid going back: 28

Source: OfferUp.

Percentage of parents who underestimate the risks of spring sun and tend to forget to apply sunscreen on their children during the first days of spring, according to a study by parent magazine Kinderzeit.org: 96

Percentage who overestimate the length of time their child can spend in the sun safely: 80

Percentage of all children who have already experienced a mild to severe sunburn this spring: 31

Source: Kinderzeit.org.

Estimated number of hours Americans spend doing their taxes each year, according to research by WalletHub: 8 billion

Number of hours the average person spends doing taxes each year: 12

Average amount they spend completing their 1040: $230

Percentage of tax returns that are expected to be filed electronically: 90

Expected average refund in 2021: $3,021

Source: WalletHub.

While the pandemic canceled many vacation plans in 2020, percentage of cooped-up travelers who are planning at least one road trip this year, according to a survey from Erie Insurance: 50

Percentage who say they would like to, but it depends on the status of the pandemic: 30

Ranks of visiting loved ones, beach-bound or seeking outdoor adventure at a national park on the list of most popular places to go: 1, 2, 3

Source: Erie Insurance.

Percentage of Americans who now know someone who has received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index: 92

Percentage of Americans who say they saw friends or family in the last week, the highest number since the pandemic began: 55

Percentage who say they went out to eat in the last week: 45

Source: Ipsos.

Percentage of Americans who said "regret" was the leading feeling after an impulsive shopping session, according to a survey by finder.com: 44

Percentage who felt indifference: 32

Percentage who felt as though they didn't have enough funds for something they actually needed (such as rent, school fees, loan repayments): 19

Source: finder.com.

Percentage of parents of undergraduate college students who say that paying for college in a pandemic is more challenging than in previous years, according to College Ave Student Loans: 85

Percentage of parents planning to help their child pay for college who said the pandemic changed how they planned to pay: 45

Percentage of families who found it difficult to find college scholarships: 66

Source: College Ave Student Loans.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, percentage of employees who have worked outside their home state or country, according to the Adapt survey by Topia: 28

Ranks of high pay, flexibility to work remotely, professional development and culture on the list of the most important issues for employees: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of employees who agree that they should be able to work from wherever they want as long as they get their work done: 91

Source: Topia.

Idle Thought

"Trust is the first step to love." -- Premchand, novelist and poet