On the 40th anniversary of the moon landing and Woodstock, and the recent death of iconic CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite, percentage of U.S. adults who said that the historic legacy of the baby boomer generation (born 1946 to 1964) would be self-indulgence and consumerism, according to a Zogby poll: 42

Percentage who said they will be remembered for bringing lasting change in social and cultural values and ending a war: 27

Percentage who said "nothing at all": 11

Source: Zogby International.

Percentage of parents who are more prepared to talk to their children about drugs and alcohol than money and finances, according to a survey conducted for ING Direct: 39

Percentage of parents who are more prepared to talk to their children about the birds and bees or dating than money and finances: 27

Source: ING Direct's Sharebuilder 401(k).

Percentage of men who look for wife potential in a girlfriend, according to the results from the second annual AskMen.com "Great Male Survey": 84

Percentage who believe that they should pay for the majority of dates at least until a relationship is established: 85

Source: AskMen.com.

Percentage of senior executives who said that it is common for candidates with promising resumes not to live up to expectations during the interview, according to a survey developed by Robert Half International: 72

Source: Robert Half International.

Percentage of workers age 55 and older who were laid off in the last 12 months who found new jobs, the lowest of all age groups, according to a study from CareerBuilder: 28

Percentage of those ages 25 to 34 who found new jobs: 71

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of workers who say they do not have qualified managers, according to Randstad's annual World of Work report: 51

Percentage of workers who want nothing to do with climbing the corporate ladder to management: 49

While generation Y'ers most fear managing disgruntled employees, percentage of generation X'ers, boomers and mature workers for whom stress is the main deterrent: 82

Source: Randstad-USA.

Number of unmarried Americans (includes those who were never married, widowed or divorced) 18 and older in 2008, representing 43 percent of all U.S. residents 18 and older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 95.9 million

Number of unmarried Americans 18 and older who were women: 53 million

Percentage of unmarried Americans 18 and older who had never been married: 61

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who say they wouldn't be able to pay their bills on time if they went more than one month between jobs, according to a survey by Country Financial: 49

Percentage who say they would tap their savings to cope with a shortfall in income if they lost their job: 50

Percentage who would rely on retirement accounts: 16

Source: Country Financial.

Percentage of Americans who are willing to make sacrifices for a free lunch, according to a survey for Quiznos: 75

Percentage who are even willing to commit "refrigerator theft," and have admitted to having taken a coworker's lunch out of the refrigerator: 14

Percentage of respondents who would attend an in-law's retirement party or a business meeting for a free lunch: 50

Percentage who said they would go on a blind date if it meant a gratis meal: 20

Source: Quiznos.

Percentage of senior executives and managers who work 41 to 60 hours a week, according to a worldwide survey conducted by NFI Research: 77

Percentage of business leaders who work 11 hours or more a day: 11

Percentage of businesspeople who work 10 or more hours a day: 40

Source: NFI Research.

Idle Thought

"How easy to be amiable in the midst of happiness and success." -- Madame Anne Sophie Swetchine

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

Percentage of parents of a child performing at an above average level who say that they tend to use praise rather than tangible rewards to motivate their child to do their homework, according to an Ipsos-Reid survey conducted on behalf of Kumon Math and Reading Centers: 86

Percentage who report that they tend to use punishment, such as the removal of privileges, rather than rewards or praise to encourage their children to get their schoolwork done: 11

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Number of years that executives in America's biggest companies estimate it will take for the collective reputation of CEOs to fully recover, according to a survey conducted by leading global public relations firm Weber Shandwick with KRC Research: 3

Source: Weber Shandwick.

Percentage of advertising and marketing executives who have experienced at least one cringe-inducing moment after they've hit "send" on an e-mail, according to a survey developed by The Creative Group: 78

Source: The Creative Group.

Percentage of travelers who agree that people should not be allowed to "save" beachside or poolside chairs by getting up early and leaving their stuff on the chairs for hours, according to a survey by TripAdvisor: 84

Ranks of blasting loud music, smoking and urinating in the water on the list of the most annoying beach and pool etiquette violations: 1, 2, 3

Source: TripAdvisor.

Estimated number of Americans who lost their jobs in the first three months of the year, with more than 6 million jobs lost since the recession began, according to the American Bankers Association's Consumer Credit Delinquency Bulletin: 2 million

Rise in bank card delinquencies from 4.52 percent in the previous quarter to 4.75 percent of all accounts: 23 basis points

Rise in the balances on those delinquent accounts to 6.60 percent of the value of all outstanding bank card debt, marking a new record: 108 basis points

Source: American Bankers Association.

Percentage of employed executives with an average annual salary of $206,000 who are satisfied or very satisfied with their current job -- up from 61 percent in 2008 and 53 percent in 2007, according to a survey by ExecuNet: 70

Average percentage of sales, engineering and IT executives who are most likely to be happy at work: 61

Average percentage of marketing, human resource and consulting executives who are most likely to be happy at work: 75

Source: ExecuNet.

Percentage of consumers who have made changes in their lives to manage cash flow more effectively by opting to use cash over other payment options, according to NCR Corp.'s 2009 self-service consumer survey conducted by BuzzBack Market Research: 50

Percentage who are using ATMs more frequently for smaller withdrawals: 30

Percentage who are paying bills just before the due dates: 40

Source: NCR Corp.

In July 1776, estimated number of people living in the United States of America, a newly independent nation, according to statistics quoted by the U.S. Census Bureau: 2.5 million

Estimated population today: 307 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of the active online universe that is made up of children ages 2 to 11, according to Nielsen: 9.5 (equivalent to 16 million people)

Since 2004, percentage increase in the number of kids online -- with a fairly even split between boys and girls: 18

Percentage increase in time spent online among children ages 2 to 11 in the last five years, from nearly seven hours in May 2004 to more than 11 hours online in May 2009: 63

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of those who belong to loyalty programs who want improvements made to their memberships, according to a survey from hotels.com: 93

Percentage who want fewer restrictions on how they can use their program benefits: 59

Percentage who don't think the value-added bonus is ever really as great as the program wants them to believe: 37

Source: Hotels.com.

Idle Thought

"A man should live with his superiors as he does with his fire: not too near, lest he burn; nor too far off, lest he freeze." -- Diogenes, philosopher

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

Percentage of professionals who believe their employers are rising to the occasion when it comes to responding to the downturn in the economy, according to a survey by Robert Half International: 69

Percentage of respondents who said their companies are doing only some things or nothing right: 30

Percentage who feel their employers will emerge from the recession stronger than before: 55

Source: Robert Half International.

Percentage of Americans who say that married men and women having an affair is morally wrong, according to a survey by Gallup: 92

Percentage who say sex between an unmarried man and woman is morally wrong: 40

Percentage who say that having a baby outside of marriage is morally wrong: 45

Source: Gallup.

Estimated percentage of defaults on mortgage loans that are strategic decisions, especially when home values have fallen by more than 15 percent, according to a study by the Kellogg School of Management: 25

Percentage of households that would default, even if they can afford to pay their mortgage, when the equity shortfall reaches 50 percent of the value of the house: 17

Percentage more likely people were to default when they know someone who defaulted: 82

Source: Kellogg School of Management.

Percentage of fliers who consider cabin cleanliness first when making a reservation, according to a survey by TripAdvisor: 90

For onboard comfort features, percentage who consider a full meal most important: 40

Ranks of Singapore Airlines, British Airways and Continental on the list of airlines that serve the best food: 1, 2, 3

Source: TripAdvisor.

Percentage of American men who would say yes to a sham marriage so that a foreigner could remain in the country, with a high percentage that said they would be willing to marry strangers for cash, according to a survey by Date.com, Matchmaker.com and Amor.com: 58.8

Percentage of women who said the same: 60.9

Source: date.com.

Percentage of Americans who don't believe CEO and CFO statements about the outlook of the financial position of their companies are credible because they are reluctant to detail the real problems facing their companies in the current economic environment, according to a Zogby survey: 75

Source: Zogby International.

Although "The Jazz Singer," with superstar Al Jolson, had a partial soundtrack and had already stunned audiences when it was first released, the year the first movie with a full-length soundtrack, "The Lights of New York," about the murder of a crime boss, opened in New York, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1928

In 1928, number of times weekly the average American went to the movies: 2

Number of times per year the average American goes to the movies today: 5

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Number of times faster that proprietorship employment grew than wage-and-salary employment between 2001 and 2006, according to research by Laurence E. Goss: 7

In 2006, number of sole proprietors in the U.S.: 20,768,555

Source: Enterprise Center at Salem State College.

Percentage of employees who would feel more freedom to concentrate on work and home responsibilities if their employer provided support for child care, according to a poll from Workplace Options: 48

Source: Workplace Options.

While the U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that U.S. energy demand will increase 9 percent during the next 20 years, percentage of Americans who chose the correct answer, according to the third annual "Energy IQ" survey, conducted for the American Petroleum Institute (API) by Harris Interactive: 5

Percentage increase in U.S. energy demand projected by the majority of respondents: 16 to 21

Source: Harris Interactive.

Idle Thought

"He who sees a need and waits to be asked for help is as unkind as if he had refused it." -- Dante Alighieri, poet

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