Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of employers who reported that job candidates are required to interview with a C-level executive within their organization (CEO, CFO, COO, etc.), according to a online survey conducted within the U.S. and Canada by Inavero on behalf of CareerBuilder: 38

Percentage of employers who will use Google or other search engines to research candidates: 48

Percentage who will research the candidate on Facebook: 44

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of employees who have high levels of stress, with extreme fatigue/feeling out of control, according to report by ComPsych Corp.: 62

Percentage who report having constant but manageable levels of stress: 33

Percentage of employees who lose one hour or more per day in productivity due to stress: 34

Source: ComPsych Corp.

Percentage of global citizens who indicate they have used social media sites in the past month "to share interesting things," according to findings from a poll conducted by Ipsos OTX: 61

Percentage of global online sharers who indicate they do so "to let others know what I believe in and who I really am": 37

Source: Ipsos Open Thinking.

Percentage of respondents to a survey by YourTango.com who agree that you can be a feminist and still enjoy preparing meals for your partner: 85

Percentage of people who feel that preparing a meal for someone is a significant act of love: 79

Source: YourTango.com.

Percentage of baby boomers who support teaching proper "hashtag" usage in schools, according to results of a Google survey: 25

Percentage of respondents aged 18 to 24 who believe hashtags should not be taught in school: 68.5

Source: Marisa Murgatroyd.

Percentage of adults online who keep desktop and mobile searches hidden from their significant others, according to the Online Consumer Search Habits study by Ask.com: 35

Percentage who keep searches hidden from their friends: 35

Percentage who keep their searches hidden from adult family members: 40

Source: Ask.com.

Rank of car crashes on the list of the leading causes of death for teens in the U.S., according to the National Safety Council: 1

Rank of the first 12 months after being licensed on the list of the most dangerous times of a teen driver's life: 1

Number of times more that a teen driver's crash risk is than that of drivers ages 20 and older: 3

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of chief information officers who rate their workers' satisfaction levels fairly high, according to research from Robert Half Technology: 72

Percentage of IT workers who said they plan to look for another job in the next year: 35

Rank of "need a new challenge," "lack of advancement potential" and "not adequately paid" on the list of the primary motivations given by IT workers for leaving their current firm: 1, 2, 3

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Percentage of Jews in the United States who say that emotionally they are either very attached (30 percent) or somewhat attached (39 percent) to Israel, according to Pew Research: 69

Percentage of white evangelical Protestants who say that Israel was given to the Jewish people by God: 82

Percentage of Jews who say the same: 40

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

Among smartphone users ages 8 to 17, percentage who say that their parents occasionally check their smartphone, according to Harris Interactive's Harris Poll YouthQuery: 43

Percentage of parents (of smartphone-using kids under 18) who say they occasionally monitor their child's smartphone activity ... with their knowledge: 43

Percentage of parents who occasionally check their child's smartphone without their knowledge: 35

Source: Harris Interactive.

Idle Thought

"The best music is essentially there to provide you something to face the world with." -- Bruce Springsteen, musician

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

Percentage of U.S. respondents who think saving money is at least somewhat important to them in their everyday life, including nearly half (46 percent) who think it's very important and look for opportunities to save money every day, according to RetailMeNot's International Shoppers Trend Report: 76

Ranks of the American, Indian, Australian and Canadian on the list of international shoppers who think saving is important: 1 (tie), 3, 4

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Rank of Boston on the list of the most expensive cities in the United States based on the cost of lodging, according to a survey from CheapHotels.org: 1

In Boston, amount travelers will have to pay per night for the most affordable double room at a hotel with three stars or better: $242

Ranks of New York City, Nashville and San Francisco on the list: 2, 3, 4

Source: Cheaphotels.org.

Ranks of strengthening the economy, improving the job situation, and reducing the federal deficit on the list what Americans say should be the top priorities for the president and Congress, according to Pew Research: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of Americans who cited "reducing the federal deficit" in 2009 when President Obama began his first term: 53

Source: PEW Internet and American Life Project.

Percentage of Americans who will give out candy to trick-or-treaters this Halloween, according to a Kmart survey: 51

Percentage who will decorate their homes: 34

Percentage who will dress up for the occasion: 26

Percentage who will attend a Halloween party: 22

Source: Kmart.

Ranks of Halloween, Christmas and Valentine's Day, on the list of the most popular holidays among 15- to 25-year-olds, according to a survey conducted by ooVoo: 1, 2, 3

Source: ooVoo LLC.

Average amount of money parents spend annually on their kids -- housing (whether renovating a room, expanding their home or moving to a larger house), child care, transportation, food, entertainment, health care and clothing -- according to a report released by BabyCenter.com: $13,000

Percentage of moms who feel that parents spend too much on their kids -- a 22 percent increase since 2012: 66

Source: BabyCenter LLC.

Percentage of women managers and executives who believe that "image" is more than twice as likely to be a factor for women than men for career progression, according to an Ipsos Reid poll of female executives commissioned on behalf of Randstad: 90

Percentage of respondents who feel that overall image (looks, personal image, etc.) is a factor and has an impact on career progression for men: 37

Percentage of respondents who believe that women need to work harder and longer hours than men in order to prove themselves in management and executive roles: 77

Source: Ipsos Reid Public Affairs.

Number of work days lost due to the impact of a severe flu season in 2012–2013, according to Walgreens Flu Impact Report: 230 million

Amount of money lost in wages: $8.5 billion

Number of vacations impacted: 11 million

Source: Walgreens.

Percentage of retail hiring managers who reported that they plan to hire seasonal workers this year, up from 36 percent last year and 29 percent in 2011, according to CareerBuilder's annual survey: 39

Percentage of employers hiring seasonal staff who will pay $10 or more per hour: 51

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Ranks of Minion from "Despicable Me," Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Minnie Mouse, Catwoman and Poison Ivy on the list of the top costume searches for Halloween, according to data from Experian Marketing Services: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Ranks of Minnie Mouse, Fairy, Spiderman and Batman on the list of the top adult searches: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Experian Marketing Services.

Idle Thought

"You can out-distance that which is running after you, but not what is running inside you." -- Rwandan proverb

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

Percentage of Americans who say large banks and financial institutions have benefited the most from post-recession government policies, according to a Harris Poll: 69

Percentage of respondents who say wealthy people have been helped most: 59

Percentage who say government policies have done little or nothing to help the middle class: 71

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of global respondents who admit they say things in text/email that they would not say voice-to-voice or person-to-person, according to a poll conducted among adults in 25 countries by Ipsos OTX: 43

Percentage of respondents under the age of 35 who are considerably more likely, compared to those aged 35 to 49 (41 percent) and those 50 to 64 (26 percent), to text/email things they won't say out loud: 54

Source: Ipsos Open Thinking.

Ranks of hard work (64 percent), experience (58 percent) and education (57 percent) on the list of factors that 20-somethings believe did or will help get that elusive, preferred job, according to a survey by the PNC Financial Services Group: 1, 2, 3

Source: Source: PNC Wealth Management.

Percentage of men and women who simply want their sex lives to be more playful and fun, according to a poll conducted for We-Vibe: 59

Source: We-Vibe.

Percentage of marketing executives at major retailers who will launch their holiday campaigns before Halloween, according to a survey from Experian: 49

Percentage of respondents who will offer a deal of the day: 28

Source: Experian Marketing Services.

Despite a recovery that economists say began in mid-2009, percentage of Americans who feel less financially secure now than they did five years ago, according to the Country Financial Security Index survey: 54

Rank of "a hit to savings" on the list of the biggest scars felt by Americans as a result of the Great Recession: 1

Source: Country Financial.

Percentage of Americans who describe their current employment situation as under- or unemployed, according to Mintel research: 31

Among those who are underemployed, percentage who have had to take a position at a lower skill level: 34

Source: Mintel.

Estimated number of potential trick-or-treaters in 2012 -- children age 5 to 14 -- across the U.S., according to U.S. Census Bureau 2012 Population Estimates: 41.1 million

Number of occupied housing units across the nation in second quarter 2013 -- all potential stops for trick-or-treaters: 115 million

Percentage of households with residents who consider their neighborhoods safe: 93.3

Source: Census Bureau.

Percentage of all women across all age groups and geographies (urban, suburban, rural) who feel the most negative about their beauty on Mondays, according to a study from media planning agency PHD revealing the dates, times and occasions when U.S. women feel their least attractive, according to PHD Media: 46

Rank of Thursday as the day when women feel best; the workweek is winding down and they are emotionally preparing for weekend socializing: 1

Source: PHD Media.

Percentage of consumers who agree that it is important to eat healthy and pay attention to nutrition, up from 57 percent just three years ago, according to a survey by Technomic: 64

Percentage of consumers who agree that restaurants can offer healthy food without sacrificing taste: 65

Percentage of consumers who believe that fresh foods are healthier: 87

Source: Technomic.

Idle Thought

"To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting." -- Edmund Burke, statesman and writer

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