oddities

Figuratively Speaking for June 10, 2022

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | June 10th, 2022

Percentage of American men (18 years and older) who are fathers, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 46

Number of fathers there are in the U.S. out of about 152 million men: 72 million

Projected Father's Day spending for 2022, according to research by The Shelf: $20.1 billion

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau and The Shelf.

Ranks of walking to work, taking public transportation, walking to complete errands and carpooling on the list of alternative options to driving that many Americans say are not available to them, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll: 1, 2, 3 (tie)

Percentage of Americans who say rising gas prices will most impact how they spend their money on meals at restaurants: 54

Estimated percentage who say they will decrease recreational driving if gas prices hit $6 or $7 per gallon: 60

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of Americans who say they have felt underpaid compared to peers with similar experiences or qualifications, according to Bankrate.com: 55

In the last 12 months, percentage of workers who reported asking for changes to their current role: 35

Even with this request, percentage of Americans who said they are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months: 51

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of employed Americans who believe their workplace/employer is "Culture Conning," defined as a practice by which companies market themselves as having inclusive, employee-centric workplace cultures to recruit employees, but fail to deliver on that promise, according to research commissioned by Employer Brand Consultancy Blu Ivy Group: 35

Ranks of leadership/management, lack of trust between staff and management, lack of work/life balance and unsustainable workload on the list of "broken" aspects of their company cultures: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Blu Ivy Group.

Ranks of "another COVID spike causing travel issues/delays" (37%) and "testing positive for COVID before or during my trip" (24%) on the list of summer travel concerns cited by Americans, according to a survey by Allianz Partners: 1, 2

Percentage who were concerned about "more expensive food and entertainment": 7

Source: Allianz Life Insurance.

Percentage of women who say it is difficult to find flattering swimwear or swimwear in their size, according to a survey by QVC and Morning Consult: 25

Percentage who said "size inclusivity" is very important or somewhat important when shopping for swimwear: 65

Percentage who said they are much more or somewhat more likely to purchase online if they see a live video of products modeled on different body types: 45

Source: QVC.

In a Premise survey of Ukrainian adults, percentage who don't believe Ukraine should negotiate with Russia to end the war: 53

Percentage who believe Ukraine will either recapture all the territory it held before the war or make gains in Crimea and/or Donbas: 80

Source: Premise.

Percentage of consumers in 11 different countries who are calling for greater harmonization of health protocols and the use of technology to enable seamless travel, according to The Future of Tourism survey conducted by YouGov: 44

Percentage who want to see greater sustainability at the heart of tourism: 34

Percentage who want to see health and sustainability prioritized over profits for the travel sector: 29

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of parents who have a child ages 14 or younger who are concerned about their child drowning in a swimming pool, according to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance: 65

Percentage of parents who plan to enroll their child in formal swimming lessons this year: 54

Percentage of dads who have confidence in their child's ability to be safe in the water, compared to 74% of moms who said the same: 92

Source: The Harris Poll.

Since 2008, when British Telecom launched its adopt-a-kiosk scheme, estimated number of phone boxes -- mostly the iconic, old red ones -- that have been bought by local communities for £1 each, now housing such things as mini libraries, art galleries and plant displays: 7,000 plus

Number of payphone calls that are still made each year in the U.K.: 5 million

Source: The Guardian.

Number of people who think their credit card rates are too high, according to a survey by WalletHub: 148 million

Percentage of consumers who think rate hikes are bad for their wallet: 55

Source: WalletHub.

Idle Thought

"All men should strive to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why." -- James Thurber, writer and cartoonist (1894-1961)

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for June 03, 2022

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | June 3rd, 2022

Among U.S. adults who say they will take a vacation this summer, the percentage who anticipate making changes to their plans due to the high level of inflation, according to a study from Bankrate.com: 69

Percentage who will take fewer trips and travel shorter distances: 25

Percentage who will engage in cheaper activities: 23

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of Americans who say their credit card spending habits returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, according to a survey by WalletHub: 47

Projected number of Americans who will have more credit card debt by the end of 2022: 33 million

Percentage of people with credit card debt who say they would do anything to be debt-free: 37

Source: WalletHub.

Amount that will be spent this summer on vacations, according to Allianz Partners USA: $194 billion

Percentage increase over last year, when many Americans slowly began making their return to travel: 26

Americans' average anticipated spend on vacations this summer: $2,644

Source: Allianz.

Number of Americans who have fallen victim to a phone scam in the past 12 months -- up from 59.4 million in 2021 and 56 million in 2020 -- according to research by Truecaller: 68.4 million

Amount of money that was lost to phone scams this past year: $39.5 billion

In the last 12 months, percentage of those who fell victim to a phone scam who were men, compared to only 42.2% who were women: 55.6

Percentage of Americans who report having fallen victim to phone scams, and 20% on more than one occasion: 33

Of those who lost money to phone scams in the last year, the average reported loss: $577

Source: Truecaller.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have experienced buyer's remorse after buying items online, according to a survey commissioned by Slickdeals: 74

Percentage who had the feeling that the purchased item was less valuable than expected: 39

Percentage who found they were not using it as frequently as expected: 34

Percentage who thought they spent too much money in the first place: 32

Source: Slickdeals.

Percentage of people who say traveling to their destination is often as much fun as the actual vacation destination, according to a survey by the National Association of Convenience Stores: 69

Ranks of by car, by air and by train on the list of the ways vacationers most frequently travel: 1, 2, 3

Source: National Association of Convenience Stores.

Percentage of parents who believe the more curious children are, the more likely they are to be successful as adults, according to a research survey by Wakefield Research commissioned by Baby Einstein: 94

Ranks of being creative, learning new things faster and more easily, and thinking critically on the list of the top areas that curious kids excel over their less-curious peers: 1, 2, 3

Source: Wakefield Research.

Percentage of American adults who weigh more than their ideal weight -- mirroring a 30-year trend toward obesity -- according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics: 82

When it comes to shedding the pounds, percentage of Americans who say that hearing from a doctor that they need to lose weight would motivate them: 83

Percentage who say they'd be influenced if their doctor told them they had a serious health risk: 90

Percentage of Americans who say they've actually asked their primary-care doctor for weight-loss help or advice: 20

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Among Americans who have ever hosted guests, percentage who enjoy doing so at their home, according to survey commissioned by Boursin and conducted by The Harris Poll: 92

Percentage who feel hesitant about assuming the role of host, including 21% who feel uncertain about "new rules" for hosting since the coronavirus pandemic began: 60

Percentage of hosts who are gravitating toward simple versus complex recipes for their gatherings: 79

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of parents or guardians who report that issues with child care access have prevented or postponed career activities, such as earning a living wage or acceptable salary, getting a job, increasing their lifetime earnings potential and pursuing education or training for career advancement, according to survey by BestColleges.com: 18

Source: BestColleges.com.

Idle Thought

"Every age is fed on illusions, lest men should renounce life early and the human race come to an end." -- Joseph Conrad, novelist (1857-1924)

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for May 27, 2022

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | May 27th, 2022

Percentage of nonhomeowners who don't think their credit is good enough to buy a home, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 22

Percentage who simply never want to be homeowners: 14

Percentage of all U.S. adults who would be willing to take action to find more affordable housing, including 27% who would move out of state, 21% who would buy a fixer-upper, 20% who would move farther from family and friends, 13% who would move farther from work and 11% who would move to a less desirable area: 58

Source: Bankrate.com.

Projected consumer spending this Father's Day, nearly on par with last year's record-setting figure of $20.1 billion, according to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights and Analytics: $20 billion

Approximate percentage of U.S. adults who are expected to celebrate Father's Day: 76

Projected average amount that consumers will spend to honor their fathers and other important men in their lives: $171.79

Source: NRF.

Percentage of working adults who report that monetary hurdles prevented them from getting a better job in the last five years, according to a survey from BestColleges.com: 23

Ranks of gap/change in health coverage, taking unpaid time off to job search/interview and expenses related to upskilling/reskilling on the list of the main financial barriers to changing jobs perceived by Americans: 1, 2, 3

Source: BestColleges.com.

Approximate number of Americans -- nearly one every five minutes -- who died of a drug overdose in 2021, according to newly released provisional data from the CDC: 107,600

Percentage of people struggling with a substance use disorder who are employed: 70

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of consumers who are dining out less as menu prices rise -- though one-third are continuing to eat out, opting for less expensive restaurants and meal options to reduce overall costs, according to research from Acosta: 54

Percentage of diners who say not having time to cook is a top reason for eating out, a figure that jumped 13 percentage points since last year: 33

Source: Acosta.

Percentage of Americans who report that inflation is affecting their travel plans, according to research by WalletHub: 58

Percentage more people who would skip a credit card payment instead of a vacation this year, compared to last year: 41

Percentage of people who say travel usually gets them into debt: 32

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of U.S. adults who report an increase in their impulse spending in 2022, according to a survey commissioned by Slickdeals: 64

Percentage who said most of their purchases tend to be spontaneous -- a large jump from 59% who said the same last year: 73

Amount of money the average person spends per month on impulse purchases: $314

Source: Slickdeals.

Percentage of Americans who say that the COVID-19 pandemic is over, according to an Ipsos poll: 31

Percentage of those who are unvaccinated who say the pandemic is over vs. 22% of those who are vaccinated that say the same: 55

Percentage of all Americans who describe the pandemic as a problem, but manageable: 71

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of respondents who say they are likely to purchase travel insurance for their next trip, according to a survey of customers by Allianz Partners USA: 90

Percentage of summer travelers who are electing for domestic destinations, traveling within the continental U.S.: 46

Percentage who will travel across "The Pond" to Europe: 27

Percentage who plan to go to Mexico, the Caribbean or Hawaii: 16

Percentage who plan a summer trip to Canada: 5

Percentage of travelers who plan to fly to their destinations: 61

Source: Allianz Life Insurance.

Percentage of U.S. internet households that have livestreamed online content in the past three months, with sporting events by far the most popular type of content, according to Parks Associates: 43

Percentage of livestreaming users who have recently watched a live sporting event online: 61

Source: Parks Associates.

Idle Thought

"There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." -- Peter Drucker, management consultant and writer (1909-2005)

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