Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of hiring managers who say that job seekers with shifty eyes would make them reluctant to hire that candidate, according to a survey by CareerBuilder: 67

Percentage who would be less likely to hire someone who failed to smile: 38

Percentage who cited fidgeting as a reason they would be less likely to hire someone: 33

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of workers who said making a mess for others to clean up is the most annoying break-room behavior, according to a survey by OfficeTeam: 44

Percentage who said that stealing a co-worker's food was the most annoying: 19

Percentage who said leaving expired/spoiled food in the refrigerator: 18

Source: OfficeTeam.

Projected revenue in 2010 in the parental outsourcing of child-related duties (e.g., child care, coaching and tutoring), according to research by IBISWorld: $55.8 billion

Percentage of the parental outsourcing category that is accounted for by child care centers, generating $22.8 billion in revenue: 41

Percentage of the market that is accounted for by nannying and baby-sitting, with revenue expected to total $16.2 billion: 29.1

Source: IBISWorld.

If they could find the same job in a community that they thought offered a higher quality of life, percentage of working Americans who would take the plunge and move, according to an Ipsos Public Affairs poll: 43

Percentage of working Americans who say greater affordability would be the biggest attraction in moving to another community: 20

Percentage who say better schools would be their motivation: 16

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of travelers who say that an airline should refund fees if it loses/delays your bags: 14

Percentage who say the airline must put you on another carrier at no additional charge if a flight is canceled/delayed, according to Smarter Travel: 56

Percentage who say that if the airline eliminates a route after you buy a ticket, they must put you on another airline for no additional cost: 75

Source: Smarter Travel.

Percentage of TVs sold in the U.S. in 2014 that will be 3-D-ready, according to Parks Associates: 80

Percentage of households that are familiar with 3-D TV, an increase from 10 percent from the previous quarter: 13

Percentage of these households that are willing to pay for 3-D content, provided they have access to the right types of content, including movies and TV shows: 48

Source: Parks Associates.

Percentage of apartment hunters who do not carry renters insurance because they do not think they can afford it or did not know it existed, according to an Apartments.com national survey: 67

Average cost of renters insurance per month: $12.50

Percentage more likely that renters are to experience theft than homeowners, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics: 50

Source: Apartments.com.

Despite the current economic slump and the widespread anticipation of crises to come, percentage of Americans who remain upbeat about the future, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press and Smithsonian magazine about an America 40 years hence: 64

Percentage who are optimistic about the future of the United States: 61

Percentage who say the U.S. economy will be stronger than it is today: 56

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

Rank of Michelle Obama (with a rating of 66 percent) on the list assessing the favorability of several key public figures, according to a Gallup Poll: 1

Ranks of Bill Clinton, Hilary Clinton, David Petraeus and Barack Obama on the list: 2 (tie), 4, 5

Source: Gallup.

Percentage rise in online advertising spending in 2010, according to a report from eMarketer: 11.9

Projected spending in 2010: $61.8 billion

By 2014, estimated online ad spending, growing at an 11.9 percent compound annual rate: $96.8 billion

Source: eMarketer.

Idle Thought

"In youth we feel richer for every new illusion; in maturer years, for every one we lose." -- Madame Anne Sophie Swetchine

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

Rank of Friday night on the list of the most popular nights for Americans to take out their dinner, according to a survey by Turning Leaf: 1

Percentage of respondents who said they have passed off takeout food as something they have made from scratch: 34

When asked where they prefer to eat takeout, percentage of Americans who said cozying up on the living room couch: 50

Percentage who enjoyed sitting down at the dining room table: 50

Think you're the only one who sneaks a bite of food before bringing it home? Percentage of Americans who also let the temptation of a pre-meal bite get the best of them: 61

Source: Turning Leaf.

Percentage of swimmers who think it's acceptable to urinate in the ocean if no other swimmers are near, according to a survey by TripAdvisor: 53

Percentage of respondents who think there should be designated child-free areas: 63

Percentage who think it's unacceptable for a young child to go in the ocean au naturel: 61

Percentage of travelers who think it's unacceptable to ask a stranger to help apply suntan lotion: 77

Source: TripAdvisor.

Percentage of presumably human adults surveyed in 22 countries who say they believe that alien beings have come down to Earth and walk amongst us in our communities disguised as "us," according to a Reuters News poll conducted by Ipsos: 20

Ranks of India (45 percent) and China (42 percent) on the list of countries with citizens most likely to believe that the disguised visitors are walking close by: 1, 2

Source: Ipsos Reid.

Of those Americans who have experienced an unemployment spell of at least six months, percentage who report that the recession has caused major changes in their lives, according to a Pew Research Center survey: 44

Percentage of those unemployed over six months who say joblessness has strained family relations, compared with 39 percent of those who were out of work for less than three months: 46

Percentage of long-term unemployed who say they have lost contact with close friends: 43

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

Percentage of workers who report that since the economic downturn, they have been packing a lunch more often to eat healthier or help save money, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 47

Among workers who smoke, percentage who said they are more likely to quit smoking given today's economic conditions: 44

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of Americans, not yet retired, who believe they will get no Social Security benefits when they retire, reflecting more pessimism than at any time since Gallup began asking this question in 1989: 60

Percentage of retired Americans who believe their existing Social Security benefits will eventually be cut: 56

Percentage of retirees who said Social Security is a major source of income, more than any other source tested: 54

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of Americans who feel that smoking should not be allowed within 20 feet of a doorway, according to the results from the annual Social Climate Survey of Tobacco Control, funded by Legacy: 67.3

Percentage who feel that beaches should be smoke-free: 43

Percentage who favor smoking bans in parks: 36

Source: Legacy.

Number of single moms living with children under 18 years old, according to BIGresearch: 10 million

Number of single dads living with children under 18 years old: 2.3 million

Source: BIGresearch.

Percentage of adults who have less confidence in Apple products due to iPhone 4 reception problems, according to a survey by Zogby: 40

Percentage of adults who believe electronics products are becoming more reliable: 32

Percentage who say they are less reliable: 22

Source: Zogby International.

Percentage of mothers who consider themselves "fun" moms, according to the survey of moms conducted by Rayovac: 84

Percentage of these fun moms who believe that having more energy would empower their families to have even more fun this summer: 60

To keep kids occupied in the car while taking a summer road trip, percentage of moms who sing songs with their families: 60

To give the vocal cords a rest, percentage who also have their children watch movies on a portable DVD player: 50

Source: Rayovac.

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 small companies -- one of the major drivers for economic recovery and job growth -- that plan to add new employees in the months of July through December, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 32

Percentage that will hire part-time: 11

Percentage that will hire contractors or temporary workers: 6

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of adults surveyed in 22 countries (representing 75 percent of the world's GDP) who, if a family member became ill, would find it difficult to get quality, affordable health care services for them, according to a Reuters News poll conducted by Ipsos: 52

Source: Ipsos Insight.

Percentage of men who find tattoos on women to be a turnoff, according to an Ask Jeeves survey: 47

Percentage of women who feel the same way about men with tattoos: 38

Number of Americans who have at least one tattoo: 45 million

Percentage of individuals with tattoos who eventually grow dissatisfied and want them removed: 50

Source: Syneron Inc.

Ranks of Italy, Australia, Ireland, Great Britain, France and Greece on the list of destinations Americans would choose as the one place they would like to visit if money were no object, according to a Harris poll: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of CFOs who said the security of remaining actively employed was the No. 1 reason they'd consider consulting, according to a Robert Half Management Resources survey: 26

Percentage who said that flexible schedules were their reason for considering consulting: 21

Percentage who cited the variety and challenge of consulting work as their reason: 20

Source: Robert Half International.

Percentage of likely voters who say extending unemployment benefits and business tax breaks justify increasing the deficit, according to a Zogby Interactive survey: 48

Percentage who say federal spending on jobs is more important than the deficit: 53

Source: Zogby International.

When given a choice between new roads funded by an increased gas tax or by tolls, or no new roads at all, percentage of Americans who prefer tolls, according to an America THINKS survey from HNTB Corp.: 41

Percentage who said "no new roads at all": 41

Percentage who were in favor of increased gas taxes: 18

Source: HNTB Corp.

Percentage of older Americans (55 and older) who believe that their social life and friendships would suffer the most from a hearing loss, according to a public opinion survey commissioned by HearUSA: 44

Percentage of all Americans who believe that their social life and friendships would suffer most from a hearing loss: 29

Source: HearUSA.

Percentage of singles who voted South Beach in Miami, Fla., as the best place to meet eligible bachelors and bachelorettes, according to a survey from Match.com in partnership with Southwest Airlines: 43

Percentage of Match.com's single users who list travel as an interest: 80

With summer travel in full swing, percentage of Match.com's single users who said if given two weeks off, they would vacation at the beach: 40

Source: Match.com.

Percentage of adults with access to the Internet who have bypassed their bank's online bill payment service and go directly to the biller's website instead, according to Mintel Comperemedia: 45

Percentage of online banking customers who have never paid a bill online at all: 22

Percentage of all checking direct-mail offers that include a mention of online banking: 40

Source: Mintel Comperemedia.

Idle Thought

"An economist's guess is liable to be as good as anybody else's." -- Will Rogers

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