Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of full-time employees who consider themselves to be overqualified for their job, according to an Ipsos Public Affairs-Randstad survey: 33

When it comes to how well workers' education prepared them for their current position, percentage of respondents who said that while their education helped, they learned most of their skills on the job: 50

Percentage who reported that their education completely prepared them for their current job: 21

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

In the past year, percentage of Americans who have made an economically driven change that could impact the cost of their car insurance, according to a survey released by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners: 53

Percentage of respondents who are driving less overall and/or taking public transportation more frequently: 40

Percentage of car owners who traded in a vehicle for a lower-priced model or got rid of a second vehicle entirely: 20

Source: National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Percentage of drivers who do not know where to find the correct inflation pressure for their vehicle's tires, according to a survey by the Rubber Manufacturers Association: 62

Percentage of drivers who do not know that tires should be checked "cold" -- before driving: 43

Percentage who do not know how to tell if their tires are bald: 52

Source: Rubber Manufacturers Association.

Percentage of Americans who said they'd like to have Vince Lombardi or Oprah coach them through their trials and tribulations -- someone who would provide encouragement, give incentives and push them hard, according to an Anthem Blue Cross survey: 25

Source: Blue Cross.

During the past 12 months, percentage of American adults on a diet who were successful in losing weight, according to a national survey by the Calorie Control Council: 45

Percentage of these dieters who were unable to keep the weight off past six months: 66

Over a 12-month period, percentage of all dieters who attempted two or more weight-loss efforts: 50

Source: Calorie Control Council.

Ranks of vitamins, protein, minerals, fiber, omega 3 and antioxidants on the list of benefits consumers value most from their foods, according to a global study conducted by Ipsos Marketing, Consumer Goods: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: Ipsos Marketing, Global Consumer Goods Sector.

Percentage of Americans who say taking a vacation away from where they live this year is important, although most anticipate they will have to spend more on transportation costs than they did last summer, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll: 60

Percentage who said they will "travel less" this summer: 29

Percentage of Americans who mentioned gas prices as the most important problem facing the country today: 8

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of Americans who believe the U.S. has made real progress on economic opportunity, saying the country is doing a better job now at creating equal opportunity across ethnic and racial lines than when they were younger, according to the Allstate-National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll: 55

Source: Allstate Insurance Co.

Percentage of parents of 2- to 12-year-old children in the U.S. who agree that spending more time at a community playground increases a family's sense of well-being, according to a study conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Foresters: 77

Percentage of parents who agree that the more time a family spends together being active, the better their sense of family well-being: 95

Source: Foresters.

Ranks of Brazil, Uruguay and Chile on the list of top-ranked developing countries for global retail expansion, according to the Global Retail Development Index released by A.T. Kearney: 1, 2, 3

Rank of Peru on the list: 8

Average 2010 percentage GDP growth in South American countries: 6

Source: A.T. Kearney.

Idle Thought

"A man who trims himself to suit everybody will soon whittle himself away." -- Charles M. Schwab

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

Year that the idea of Father's Day was conceived by Sonora Dodd, who wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1909

Year that the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day: 1966

Estimated number of fathers in America: 66.3 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who agree that buying a home is the best long-term investment a person can make, according to a nationwide Pew Research Center survey: 80

Percentage of renters who said they would prefer to one day buy a home: 81

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

Even in the face of rising gas prices, percentage of Americans who drive to work alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 75

Percentage who use public transportation: 5

Percentage of people who use bikes and other means to get to their jobs: 2

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of grooms who do the proposing, according to research by the Travel Industry Association of America: 99

Average length of an American engagement: 14 months

Average cost of the diamond engagement ring: $6,348

During the engagement period, estimated collective amount of money spent on furniture: $4 billion

Source: U.S. Travel Association.

Percentage of CFOs who said lacking attention to detail and presenting sloppy work are the co-worker behaviors that annoy them most, according to a survey developed by Accountemps: 41

Percentage of respondents who said gossiping or engaging in office politics are pet peeves: 23

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of consumers who said they like to get as much information as possible about an electronic device before they buy, according to the results of PriceGrabber's mobile shopping survey: 66

Percentage who stated they always shop for the best deal in electronics: 48

Source: Experian Consumer Direct.

Percentage of American households that are planning at least one water-related recreational activity this summer such as swimming, boating and fishing, according to a national survey by the American Red Cross: 78

Percentage of Americans who described their swimming skills as fair, poor or nonexistent, including 3 percent who said they were unable to swim at all: 21

Percentage of adults who are unsure what to do if they are caught in a strong current: 18

Source: American Red Cross.

Percentage of emergency physicians responding to a poll who report that the biggest challenge to cutting costs in emergency medicine is the fear of lawsuits, according to a survey by the American College of Emergency Physicians: 44

Range of estimates on the annual costs of defensive medicine, which includes the ordering of tests out of a fear of being sued: $60 billion to $151 billion

Source: American College of Emergency Physicians.

Percentage of tablet computer owners who said they use their devices while watching television, according to Nielsen's survey of connected device owners: 70

Percentage of smart phone owners who said the same: 68

Percentage of e-book reader owners who said the same: 35

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of respondents who plan to buy a Father's Day gift this year, according to the ultimate "Gift Guy'd," based on a poll from Sears, Roebuck and Co.: 99

Percentage of respondents who said "organizing the tool shed" was the top choice of activity for an ideal Father's Day: 43

Percentage who selected "new tools" as the top choice for the perfect Father's Day gift: 50

Source: Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Idle Thought

"Every man possesses three characters: that which he exhibits, that which he really has and that which he believes he has." -- Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, novelist and journalist

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

Percentage of Americans who believe being called a "geek" is actually a compliment, according to a survey by Modis: 57

Percentage of Americans who most closely associate the term "geek" with being extremely intelligent: 45

Percentage who associate the term with one who is a reliable source for technology advice: 56

Source: Modis.

The ranks of San Francisco, Boston and Denver on the list of U.S. cities poised for greatness, based on five key areas of greatness -- including sports, art, music, culture and cosmopolitan factors, like leadership in energy and environmental design as well as population growth -- according to research commissioned by the makers of Edge Shave Gel: 1, 2, 3

Source: Energizer Holdings Inc.

Percentage of senior leaders and hiring managers in America's large Fortune 500 companies (5,000 or more employees) who say that 40 percent or more of their company's employees work in virtual teams today, according to the study, Virtual Work Environments in a Post-Recession Era, conducted on behalf of Brandman University by Forrester Consulting: 40

Percentage who expect virtual teaming to increase in the next one to three years: 56

Source: Brandman University.

With wedding season upon us, percentage of couples who addressed how they would manage their collective finances before marriage, according to a Country Financial survey: 51

Percentage of all married Americans who reported being honest with their spouses about their financial state during their engagement: 86

When deciding on a money-management style, percentage of couples who elect to manage their finances completely jointly: 71

Source: Country Financial.

Year that the New York Stock Exchange started (in good weather, merchants and brokers operated under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street; in bad weather they moved to the shelter of a nearby coffeehouse), according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1792

Estimated percentage of U.S. households that own shares of stock: 20

Percentage that invest in mutual funds: 40

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

When American adults were asked if they agree or disagree that some online companies, such as Google or Facebook, control too much of our personal information and know too much about our browsing habits, percentage who agreed, according to findings of an Adweek/Harris Poll survey: 76

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of Americans who believe same-sex marriage should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages, according to a recent Gallup Poll -- and a first-time majority in Gallup's tracking of the issue: 53

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of Americans who are cutting back on nonessential spending due to high gas prices, according to a national survey conducted by Bankrate.com: 63

Percentage of Americans who are less comfortable with their savings now compared to 12 months ago: 35

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of women who reported feeling good when they help those who are less fortunate, according to a recent Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of "Give Health," a Procter & Gamble program: 88

Percentage of women who say they wish to support causes they care about without having to donate a lot of money: 75

Percentage who would like to be able to back causes they care about through everyday purchases: 70

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of parents who require more child care during the summer months than during the rest of the year, according to a survey commissioned by Care.com: 53

Percentage of parents who have bigger expectations of their summer caregivers, expecting them to arrange for more outdoor activities and be actively engaged in field trips and play: 66

Source: Care.com.

Idle Thought

"Never memorize something you can look up." -- Albert Einstein

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