Percentage of families who find the idea of an "unplugged" family vacation appealing, according to research from Alamo Rent A Car: 91

Percentage of families who have committed to an unplugged vacation: 37

Percentage of that group who were successful: 92

Source: Alamo Rent A Car.

Percentage of senior managers who said college basketball tournament activities have a positive impact on staff morale, according to research from Robert Half: 72

Percentage who also see productivity benefits: 52

Percentage of employees who said they are distracted at work by sports, up from 38 percent in 2016: 49

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Estimated amount that American businesses are losing per year due to employees' personal financial stress, according to a survey by Salary Finance: $500 billion Percentage of U.S. employees who are worried about money, leading to depression, panic attacks, sleepless nights and distractions at work: 48

Percentage of the U.S. GDP impacted due to lost productivity: 2.5

Source: Salary Finance.

Percentage of global consumers who feel they are better off financially than they were five years ago, according to a Nielsen report: 58

Percentage who are able to live comfortably and are able to buy some things they want: 53

Percentage who can afford only food, shelter and basic needs: 32

Source: Nielsen Insights.

Percentage of U.S. employers who have been directly affected by employee use of opioids, according to a survey released by the National Safety Council: 75

Percentage who have experienced absenteeism or impaired worker performance: 38

Percentage who have had an overdose, arrest, a near-miss or an injury because of employee opioid use: 31

Source: National Safety Council.

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 percent of men: 61

Ranks of photos and scrapbooks (38 percent) and family mementos and keepsakes (29 percent) on the list of household items Americans said they cherished most: 1, 2

Source: American Association of Endodontists.

Estimated percentage of Americans who are expecting to receive a tax refund this year, according to a nationwide survey conducted by SunTrust: 67

Percentage who will use at least a portion of their check from Uncle Sam to pay down debt: 31

Percentage of respondents who plan to spend their refund on travel and entertainment: 24

Source: SunTrust Banks Inc.

Estimated percentage of the individual retirement accounts (IRAs) owned by those near or in retirement (ages 60 or older) that saw balance increases over a three-year period, according to new research by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI): 50

Among the IRAs owned by retirees who are just starting their Required Minimum Distributions (ages 71 to 74), percentage that had increasing balances during this period: 49.2

Source: EBRI.

Percentage of small businesses that will increase their investment in social media to boost brand awareness and generate customer leads, according to a new survey from The Manifest: 63

Percentage that are committed to spending more on digital marketing in 2019: 95

Ranks of social media, website, email marketing, SEO, video and content marketing on the list of the top six digital marketing channels small businesses invest in: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: The Manifest.

Percentage of Americans who are willing to spend more money at businesses that have clean, well-maintained restrooms, according to a survey by Bradley Corp.: 52

Percentage who have had an unpleasant experience due to the condition of the washroom: 67

Percentage who have left without doing business: 26

Source: Bradley Corp.

Idle Thought

"In some circumstances, the refusal to be defeated is a refusal to be educated." -- Margaret Halsey, novelist

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

Percentage of U.S. adults between ages 50 and 64 who have used a cannabis-based product, according to a poll by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted in 2015 and 2016: 9

Percentage of those over 65 who were prescribed cannabis as a treatment by their doctors in 2016: 25

According to data compiled by Credence Research, value of the global medical marijuana market in 2017: $13.90 billion

Projected value by 2026: $57.58 billion

Source: FinancialBuzz.com.

Percentage of Americans who would rather wait in line at the DMV than argue with a spouse about cleaning, according to the results of the Spring Cleaning and Recommerce survey by OfferUp: 32

Percentage who would rather spend time with their in-laws than have an argument about decluttering: 25

Source: OfferUp.

Ranks of Mardi Gras, New Year's Eve, Saint Patrick's Day and the Fourth of July on the list of the booziest holidays, according to a survey by alcohol.org: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of men who say they binge drink on Saint Patrick's Day: 32

Percentage of women who say the same: 21

Source: American Addiction Centers.

Percentage of travelers who stated they have trouble sleeping when traveling away from home, according to a global study commissioned by IHG Hotels and Resorts: 79

Average amount of sleep a business traveler loses each night when staying away from home, averaging just 5 hours and 17 minutes of sleep: 58 minutes

To aid sleep, percentage who reported listening to music: 47

Percentage who watched TV: 45

Source: IHG Hotels and Resorts.

Number of people who planned to place bets on the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, according to a survey released by the American Gaming Association (AGA): 47 million

Amount that Americans plan to wager on this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament, with 1-in-5 adults placing a bet: $8.5 billion

During this year's tournament, percentage more than was bet on the Super Bowl that sports fans are expected to wager on March Madness: 40

Source: American Gaming Association.

Percentage of U.S. managers who say that in the workplace robots perform "higher quality work" than humans, according to a national study from edtech firm MindEdge/Skye Learning: 58

Percentage who expect that automation will lead to more job losses in the next five years: 49

Source: MindEdge.

Percentage of job candidates that senior managers report have been removed from consideration for a position with their company after checking references, according to a survey by Accountemps: 34

When speaking to an applicant's job references, percentage of managers who said it was most important to get an insight into the applicant's strengths and weaknesses: 38

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of firms that indicate labor shortage is causing them to ask skilled workers to do more work, according to results from the Q1 2019 USG Corporation and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index: 81

Percentage of firms that struggle to meet deadlines: 70

Percentage of firms that reject new projects: 40

Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Percentage of working Americans who report they aren't saving any money at all, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 21

Percentage who are saving the minimum 15 percent of their income that most experts recommend: 17

Percentage of working Americans who say their biggest reason for not saving more money was that they simply "haven't gotten around to it": 16

Source: Bankrate.com.

At the 53rd Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, percentage of respondents to a survey by TD Wealth who identified family conflict as the leading threat to estate planning in 2019: 46

Ranks of market volatility (24 percent) and tax reform (14 percent) on the list of threats: 2, 3

Source: TD Bank.

Idle Thought

"A hungry man is not a free man." -- Adlai Stevenson, statesman

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

Percentage of adults who go to a professional to improve their appearance who say that looking their best is important for daily activities (e.g, career, school, volunteering, errands), according to a survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Allergan: 92

Percentage who believe that the way they look contributes to how successful they can be in all aspects of their lives: 84

Percentage who also say that looking fit and healthy, and being on trend with fashion and beauty contributes to their confidence: 86

Source: Ipsos Insight.

Percentage of Americans who cited love as a very 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 having their relationship recognized in a religious ceremony, financial stability, and legal rights and benefits on the list of important reasons to marry: 5, 6, 7

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

Percentage of teens who see anxiety and depression, whether they personally suffer from these conditions or not, as major problems among their peers, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17: 70

Percentage of teens who say they feel a lot of pressure to get good grades: 61

Percentage who say they feel a lot of pressure to look good: 29

Percentage who say they feel a lot of pressure to fit in socially: 28

Percentage who feel pressured to be involved in extracurricular activities and to be good at sports: 21 each

Source: Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends.

Whether it be to cap off a tough day at the office, trade barbs with friends at a local watering hole or cheer on our favourite teams during big sports matchups, ranks of margarita, martini, old-fashioned, mimosa and Moscow mule on the list of American's favorite cocktails, according to a recent analysis of on-premise cocktail consumption by Nielsen CGA: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Average cost of margaritas in the U.S. -- almost 50 cents more than the average cocktail price of $9: $9.49

Source: Nielsen Insights.

Number of surgical and minimally invasive cosmetic procedures performed in the United States in 2018, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgery's annual plastic surgery statistics report, up a quarter of a million from the previous year: 17.7 million

Of the more than 1.8 million cosmetic surgical procedures performed in 2018, ranks of breast augmentation, liposuction, nose reshaping and eyelid surgery on the list of top procedures: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: American Society of Plastic Surgery.

On average, number of hours per week blue-collar employees work in the U.S., according to a Harris Poll study commissioned by Express Employment Professionals: 41

Percentage who report that they are paid hourly: 80

Percentage of respondents who say they work mostly indoors: 42

Percentage who say they work mostly outdoors: 23

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of parents who believe that children should be limited to no more than three hours per week of game playing during the school year, according to a YouGov Omnibus research: 61

Percentage who say 4 or more hours is OK during the summer break: 54

Source: YouGov.

Ranks of miscellaneous fine arts, composition and speech, clinical psychology, cosmetology and culinary arts (tie), and visual and performing arts on the list of the five college majors most likely to pay the least, according to a survey Bankrate.com: 1, 2, 3, 4 (tie), 6

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of adults who are most likely to say that if printed materials no longer existed it would make them feel sad, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Canon: 47

Percentage of Americans who say that they prefer reading physical books more than e-books: 76

Percentage who say that they like being able to highlight and mark up physical content: 70

Percentage of students who agree that they prefer doing their school reading and assignments on paper as opposed to online: 76

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Out of 26 cities in the Asia/Pacific region, ranks of Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong and Melbourne on the list of "five-star" bleisure destinations, based on a quantitative barometer included in the new Economist Intelligence Unit study for their combination of business and leisure -- or bleisure -- appeal for travelers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Economist Intelligence Unit.

Idle Thought

"Be master of your petty annoyances and conserve your energies for the big, worthwhile things. It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out -- it's the grain of sand in your shoe." -- Robert Service, writer

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