Figuratively Speaking

Number of potential trick-or-treaters in 2011 -- children 5 to 14 -- throughout the U.S. (though kids older than 14 and younger than 5 also go trick-or-treating), according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 41 million

Number of occupied housing units across the nation in 2010 -- all potential stops for trick-or-treaters: 116.7 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

For Americans with household incomes of more than $75,000 per year, percentage who said they don't put anything into savings each month, according to CouponCabin's first savings and spending report: 29

Percentage of U.S. adults who said they don't have a six-month emergency fund, which experts say is necessary money put aside to cover six months of living expenses: 52

Percentage of those with household incomes of more than $75,000 who said the same: 40

Source: CouponCabin.

Percentage of newly minted physicians who have received at least 50 job solicitations during their training, according to a survey conducted by Merritt, Hawkins, a national physician search firm: 78

Percentage who have received 100 or more: 47

Number of years that the number of new physicians being trained in the U.S. has remained flat while the general population has become both larger and, on average, older: 20

Source: Merritt, Hawkins and Associates.

Percentage of all the surgical and non-invasive cosmetic procedures in the U.S. that are performed on women, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons: 87

Percentage rise in male cosmetic procedures last year: 2

Percentage rise in male facelifts from 2009 to 2010, the fastest-growing procedure: 14

Source: American Society of Plastic Surgery.

Percentage of horror movie fans who believe scary movies are scarier when watched in the dark, according to the Redbox 2011 National Halloween Survey: 90

Percentage of fans who are too scared to turn out the lights: 20

Ranks of demons or Satan, "creepy kids" from movies like "Orphan" and "The Ring," and "unsuspected killers" like those in "Scream," "Saw" and "Hostel" on the list of the scariest movie villains: 1, 2, 3

Source: Redbox.

Percentage of online daters who are more likely to confess to being a bit plump than acknowledge which government party they support, according to a survey by free dating site Smooch: 74

Percentage of online daters who include political interests on their profiles: 14

Source: Smooch.com.

Percentage of the country's leading retailers that reported an increase in the frequency with which organized rings committed shoplifting, according to a study by the Retail Industry Leaders Association: 50

Percentage that saw an increase in shoplifting by individuals acting alone: 41

Percentage of respondents that reported an increase in the theft of pharmaceutical products: 64

Source: Retail Industry Leaders Association.

Percentage of information workers who indicated they are more likely to ask their company's IT department to fix problems with personally owned consumer devices than they are to troubleshoot the issues themselves or seek support from the device manufacturer, according to a poll conducted by Unisys: 47

Percentage who responded that they turn to the primary technology provider: 11

Source: Unisys.

Percentage of adults who get at least some local news and information via their smartphones or tablet computers, according to a study produced by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Pew Internet & American Life Project in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation: 47

Percentage of all adults who used a smartphone or tablet computer to check weather reports: 36

Percentage who used these mobile devices to find local restaurants or local businesses: 31

Source: PEW Internet and American Life Project.

Percentage of IT and security practitioners in 12 countries who said that social media in the workplace represents a serious security risk, according to research conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by content security provider Websense: 63

Percentage who report having the necessary security controls in place to mitigate it: 29

Percentage of respondents who report an increase in malware due to social media use: 52

Source: Websense.

Idle Thought

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

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

Percentage of employees who report feeling inspired to do their best at work, according to a survey from Randstad: 78

Percentage who are proud to work for their company: 76

Percentage who enjoy going to work every day: 66

Percentage of respondents who said they are unlikely to give consideration to or accept a new job offer in the next six months: 60

Source: Randstad-USA.

When singles were asked to define chemistry on a first date, percentage who said it was "feeling comfortable together," according to research conducted at ItsJustLunch.com: 44

Percentage who said "great conversation": 28

Percentage who were sparked by physical attractiveness: 20

Source: It's Just Lunch/American Way.

Percentage of Americans who have purchased groceries at large supercenters -- those that sell food, clothing, etc. -- in the past year, according to a Deloitte survey: 61

Outside of shopping at supermarkets and one-stop-shopping supercenters, percentage of consumers who met their grocery needs by visiting a dollar store over the past year: 32.6

Percentage who bought food at a drugstore: 22

Source: Deloitte.

Percentage of pet lovers in the U.K. who regularly take their dogs or cats on car journeys with them, according to a study of car owners and their pets by Confused.com: 39

Ranks of Adele, Madonna and Lady Gaga on the list of the most popular artists to keep pets happy on the move: 1(tie)

Source: Confused.com.

Percentage of moms who said they own or use a computer, up 9 percent from 2010, according to the results of a Disney Interactive Media Group survey: 96

Percentage of moms who have assumed the role of Household CEO: 79

Source: Disney Interactive Media Group.

Percentage of Americans who believe the Earth has been warming in the last year (up from 75 percent in 2010), according to an Ipsos poll conducted behalf of Stanford University and Reuters: 83

Percentage who believe that if warming has been happening, it has been caused either partly (45 percent) or mostly (27 perent) by things people have been doing: 71

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of shoppers who plan to start holiday shopping earlier this year, according to the results from a PriceGrabber survey: 53

Percentage of consumers who intend to spend less money during the 2011 winter holiday shopping season than they did in 2010: 45

Percentage of shoppers who say the economic climate will affect their overall spending: 68

Source: PriceGrabber.com.

Percentage of adults who agree that a bright or white smile makes a good first impression, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive, and commissioned by Philips: 89

Percentage who believe that a person's smile is the best physical indicator of someone's friendliness: 55

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of Americans who believe weight-loss-themed reality television has a positive impact on the country's obesity problem, according to a survey from Thomson Reuters: 50

Among the 15 percent of respondents who regularly watch weight-loss-themed television programs such as "The Biggest Loser" and "I Used to Be Fat," percentage who said the shows have influenced their eating habits: 57

Percentage who said their exercise habits had been influenced: 48

Source: Thomson Reuters.

Percentage of Americans who say the nation would be better off if leaders followed public opinion more closely, according to a Gallup survey: 77

Percentage who say the nation would be worse off if leaders paid more attention to the public's views: 20

Source: Gallup.

Idle Thought

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other." -- Abraham Lincoln

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

Percentage of managers who believe job seekers include dishonest information on their resumes, according to research from OfficeTeam: 43

Percentage of workers who said they know someone who stretched the truth on these documents: 21

Ranks of job duties, education and employment dates on the list of areas that are embellished most frequently: 1, 2, 3

Source: OfficeTeam.

Average number of text messages the typical American adult sends or receives each day, according to the report Americans and Text Messaging, released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project: 41.5

Average number of daily calls made over cell phones: 12

Percentage of respondents who said they prefer communicating by text to talking on the phone: 31

Source: PEW Internet and American Life Project.

Amount of money that Americans estimate the federal government wastes of every dollar it spends, a new high in a Gallup trend question first asked in 1979, according to results of a USA Today/Gallup poll: 51 cents

Amount of money that Americans believe state governments waste for every dollar: 42 cents

Amount of money they believe local governments waste for every dollar: 38 cents

Source: Gallup.

Age at which Americans become proud of their longevity, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 85

Estimated number of Americans aged 100 or over: 70,500

In 1950, estimated number of Americans aged 100 or over: 2,300

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Number of times more likely that a corporate CEO (versus an average worker) is to believe he or she works in a company where people are inspired, according to a study from LRN: 6

Percentage of employees who say they are primarily coerced on the job, rather than inspired by values and a commitment to a mission and purpose: 84

Percentage who say they are motivated rather than inspired: 12

Source: LRN.

Percentage of homeowners who claim if they lost their job, they wouldn't be able to make mortgage payments after nine months, according to a Country Financial survey: 68

Current average unemployment length, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: 10 months

Percentage of homeowners who say they would be able to maintain payments for just three to six months: 31

Source: Country Financial.

Percentage of millennials (ages 20-29) in the U.S. who say the Internet has opened up greater business prospects for people their age, according to research conducted by YouGovStone on behalf of One Young World: 77

Percentage of U.S. millennials who say their career ambition is to run their own business, versus 69 percent of millennials in China and an average of 68 percent worldwide: 38

Percentage of young Americans who report a career ambition to "work their way to the top of an established business," versus 85 percent of young people in China and 64 percent worldwide: 40

Source: One Young World.

Percentage of pet-owning households in the U.S. that are multiple pet owners, according to the American Pet Products Association in its 2011-2012 National Pet Owners Survey: 40

Number of dogs in the U.S.: 78 million

Number of cats: 86.4 million

Rank of companionship/love/company/affection on the list of top benefits of dog, cat, bird, small animal and equine ownership: 1

Source: American Pet Products Association.

Percentage of U.S. manufacturing executives from global companies with at least $1 billion in revenue who say they will focus on top-line growth over the next two years, fueled by new products, strategic acquisitions and alliances, innovation, and increasing production capacity in high-growth markets, according to KPMG: 26

Percentage who say they will focus on research and development/innovation: 13

Percentage of U.S. respondents who were either very optimistic or optimistic about their company's business outlook for the next two years: 79

Source: KPMG.

Percentage of those who have seen 3-D TV who perceive it to be at least "somewhat better" than standard HDTV or "2-D" TV, according to a study of the TV marketplace, conducted by independent research firm Frank N. Magid Associates: 99

Percentage who said that 3-D TV is "much better" or "dramatically better" than 2-D TV: 71

Source: Frank N. Magid Associates.

Idle Thought

"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life." -- Charles Darwin

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