In 2010, percentage of all households that included married couples with children, down from a high of 44 percent in 1960, according to a Population Reference Bureau report: 20

At the peak in 1960, percentage of all households that included married couples: 75

Today, percentage of all households where people live alone: 27

Source: Population Reference Bureau.

Number of times more likely hiring managers are to hire a mature worker 50 years old and older than a millennial, according to a survey from Adecco Staffing U.S.: 3

Percentage of respondents who say they view mature workers as reliable: 91

Percentage who consider them professional: 88

Source: Adecco.

Estimated average cost to a middle-income family to raise a child from birth through age 17, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture: $235,000

Percentage of families who are stressed about money: 80

Percentage of moms who are concerned about not having enough money to raise their children, a 10 percent increase from 2011: 70

Percentage of couples who admit they argue about money, according to BabyCenter's 2012 U.S. Cost of Raising a Child report: 70

Source: BabyCenter LLC.

Although it's been 45 years since Herbie hit the big screen in "The Love Bug," number of motorists who have been proposed to behind the wheel, according to research from Allianz: 1.9 million

Percentage of people who have offered relationship advice in the car: 20

On the nation's highways, number of motorists who have had the brakes put on their relationships and been dumped while in the car: 2.3 million

Source: Allianz Life Insurance.

Percentage of people who plan to don a costume on Halloween, up from 33.4 percent in 2009, according to the National Retail Federation: 40

Percentage of people donning costumes who will dress up their pets as well: 12

Percentage who will throw/attend a party: 33

Source: National Retail Federation.

Percentage of Americans who don't want to compromise on the quality of the food they buy regardless of current food prices, according to a survey conducted on behalf of Whole Foods Market: 73

Percentage of Americans who prefer to buy natural and/or organic foods over conventional foods if prices are comparable: 71

Percentage who are devoting more than a quarter of their grocery dollars to natural and/or organic products: 27

Source: Whole Foods Market.

Ranks of University of Virginia, University of Southern California, University of Florida, University of Texas and University of Wisconsin on the list of Top 10 Party Schools for 2012 as released by Playboy magazine: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Rank of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (Syracuse, N.Y.) on the list of the country's "Worst Overall Party Schools": 1

Source: Playboy.

Percentage of Americans who approve of the U.S. government's drone campaign targeting extremist leaders and groups in nations such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, according to the Pew Research Center: 62

Of the 20 countries surveyed, number where more than half of respondents disapproved of the drone strikes: 17

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

Year that one of America's favorite singing cowboys -- Gene Autry -- was born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1907

Estimated number of movies he made, besides making hundreds of recordings over his career of some 70 years: 100

Number of stars -- for radio, television, motion pictures, recording and live performance -- he has on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the only entertainer to achieve this: 5

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

When asked how they save on hotels, percentage of travelers who say they book rooms far in advance, according to a survey conducted by GO Airport Express: 45

Percentage of respondents who use organizations' membership discounts, such as AAA and AARP to reduce hotel costs: 31

Percentage who use online services such as Priceline.com: 26

Source: GO Airport Express.

Idle Thought

"Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught." -- Oscar Wilde

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

Ranks of food preparation/service workers, scientists, sales representatives, marketing/public relations professionals and nurses on the list of professions with the highest proportions of workers stating they are less productive without coffee, according to a survey commissioned jointly by Dunkin' Donuts and CareerBuilder: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Although most employees report not being heavily involved in office politics, percentage who have observed political maneuverings on the job, according to a Robert Half survey: 56

Ranks of gossiping (54 percent), flattering the boss to gain favor (20 percent) and taking credit for others' work (17 percent) on the list of observed political maneuverings: 1, 2, 3

Source: Robert Half.

Number of people who commute on bikes nationwide, according to a study of the U.S. Department of Commerce's 2010 American Community Survey by BikeGuard: 731,268

Percentage of bicycle commuters in Washington, D.C. (the highest): 3.13

Percentage of bicycle commuters in Arkansas (the lowest): 0.06

Source: BikeGuard.

Percentage of Americans who say that labor unions are necessary to protect the working person, according to a survey by Pew Research for People and the Press: 64

Percentage who say that "labor unions have too much power": 57

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

Ranks of money and parenting/discipline differences on the list of reasons most parents fight, according to a survey by YourTango.com: 1, 2

Ranks of "parental fighting" and "parents who disrespect each other" on the list of the most toxic actions for kids to witness: 1, 2

Source: YourTango.com.

Percentage of Apple fans who said they would rather lose their wallet than their iPhone, according to the results of a poll by ProtectYourBubble.com: 51.7

Percentage of Apple iPhone 5 customers who have previously purchased three or more earlier model iPhones: 40.6

Source: Protect Your Bubble.

Percentage of teachers who have given food to a student they thought was hungry, according to research commissioned by Nutella: 77

Percentage of moms who claim they have let their children go to school at least once a week without eating breakfast: 7

Percentage of children who teachers believe come to school without eating breakfast based on the behavior of kids in the classroom: 29

Source: Nutella.

In 1920, estimated number of farms in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 6.5 million

Today, with advances in agriculture, estimated number of farms providing food for a population three times that of 1920: 2.2 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage more likely that "showroomers" (consumers who browse for items in-store before using their smartphones to find a lower price online) are than a non-showroomer to participate in a travel reward program membership, according to a study from Aimia: 67

Percentage more likely that showroomers are than non-showroomers to participate in a retail reward program membership: 20

Source: Aimia.

Percentage of affluents (annual incomes of $100,000 plus) who read at least one of the 150 measured and reported print publications (143 magazines and 7 national newspapers), according to the Ipsos MediaCT's 2012 Mendelsohn survey: 82

Number who downloaded a newspaper app, up from 3.6 million in 2011: 5.9 million

Source: Ipsos MediaCT's 2012 Mendelsohn Affluent Survey.

Idle Thought

"Business, more than any other occupation, is a continual dealing with the future; it is a continual calculation, an instinctive exercise in foresight." -- Henry R. Luce

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

Percentage of women who believe homeownership is essential in defining the American Dream, according to a Home Buyer Poll released by TD Bank: 64

Percentage of men who feel owning a home is important: 52

Percentage of women who consider family and children to be essential parts of the American Dream: 60

Source: TD Bank.

Average number of minutes it takes an 18- to 24-year-old in the U.S. to have a shower, a full nine minutes longer than the optimum shower time recommended to conserve water, according to a survey conducted by AXE: 17-plus minutes

Average shower duration in America: 8.2 minutes

Source: Unilever.

Number of unmarried people (widowed, divorced and never married) in America age 18 and older in 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau study America's Families and Living Arrangements -- 2011: 102 million

Percentage of all U.S. residents 18 and older this represents: 44.1

Percentage of unmarried U.S. residents 18 and older in 2011 who had never been married: 62

Percentage who were divorced: 24

Percentage who were widowed: 14

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who say they are in the lower-middle or lower class, up from 25 percent in the past four years, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center: 33

Percentage of those in the lower class who say that hard work brings success, a view expressed by overwhelming majorities of those in the middle (67 percent) and upper classes (71 percent): 51

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

Amount of money that repairs, replacements and insurance deductibles for cracked, dropped, pummeled, kicked and water-damaged iPhones has cost Americans since their introduction in 2007, according to a study by SquareTrade: $5.9 billion

In the last 12 months alone, percentage of iPhone users who have damaged their device: 30

Number of times more common accidental damage is than loss or theft: 10

Source: SquareTrade.

Percentage of moms who report that they feel overwhelmed by financial burdens, according to findings of the Mom Money IQ Test released by CafeMom and Chase Blueprint: 70

Of moms who are actively managing their family's finances, percentage who report that they feel they are doing a good job month to month: 67

Percentage of respondents who tend to disagree with their partner on how they manage their finances: 59

Source: CafeMom.

Estimated number of Americans who remain unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: 12.5 million

According to The Associated Press, percentage of bachelor's degree-holders under the age of 25 who are jobless or underemployed in the United States: 53.6

Source: Career Advisory Board.

When American voters were asked whether they currently fact-check claims made by political ads, percentage who said they frequently do, according to a survey by Politcal.com: 55

Percentage who said they sometimes or never do: 45

Source: Political.com.

Percentage of adults who say that if they were to upgrade their cellphone, it would be because their contract is over and they are eligible for an upgrade, according to a poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of RetailMeNot.com: 42

Percentage who say it would be because they want another type of phone; switching from an Android (7 percent), an iPhone (4 percent) or a BlackBerry (2 percent) to another type of phone: 13

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Rank of "no longer need their car" on the list of reasons why of drivers across the country want out of a vehicle lease, according to a national leasing survey from Swapalease.com: 1

Ranks of financial concerns, want a new car and lifestyle changes on the list: 2, 3, 4

Source: Swapalease.com.

Idle Thought

"Ah, good taste, what a dreadful thing! Taste is the enemy of creativeness." -- Pablo Picasso

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