Though a person is more likely to hit a deer in Hawaii or get struck by an asteroid, percentage of Americans who dream about winning the lottery a least a few times per year, according to research from YouGov Omnibus: 58

Percentage of Americans who claim to think about it on a daily basis: 10

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of global citizens who appear to be generally happy -- either very happy (20 percent) or somewhat happy (55 percent), according to a poll by global research company Ipsos: 75

Ranks of Indonesia (55 percent), India (41 percent), Mexico (38 percent), Brazil (33 percent), South Africa (26 percent) and the U.S. (26 percent) on the list of countries with the highest percentage of people who say they are very happy: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (tie)

Ranks of South Korea (6 percent), Hungary (8 percent), Italy (9 percent), China (10 percent), France (11 percent), Germany (11 percent) and Russia (11 percent) on the list of countries with the lowest percentage of people who say they are very happy: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (three-way tie)

Source: Ipsos Global Public Affairs.

Estimated number of African-Americans living in the U.S. (counting single race or in combination with others), according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 44 million

By 2060, projected African-American population -- 18.4 percent of the U.S. population: 77 million

Estimated number of blacks in New York, the largest number of any state: 3.5 million

Rank of Mississippi at 38 percent on the list of states with the highest percentage of blacks: 1

Source: Census Bureau.

Percentage of employed workers who said it's been at least five years since they last looked for a new job, according to an Accountemps survey: 48

Of those, percentage who haven't conducted a job search in more than a decade: 30

Percentage of employees polled who said they plan to look for a new job in the next 12 months: 20

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of male respondents who said they would have sex with an adult-film star, compared to only 10 percent of the female respondents, according to a survey by AdamAndEve.com: 40

Source: Adam & Eve.

Rank of the Labrador retriever on the most popular dog list for the 23rd consecutive year, the longest reign at the top in the history of the American Kennel Club: 1

Ranks of the German shepherd, golden retriever and beagle on the list: 2, 3, 4

Source: American Kennel Club.

Percentage of small and medium-sized business owners who say they don't have the right skills to use data effectively (though recognizing the importance of collecting, analyzing and using business-related data), according to a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit: 22

Percentage of respondents who say they cannot get data to pay off for them due to lack of skills: 30

Percentage who say they can't get data into the right hands: 23

Source: WebiMax.

Average monthly apartment rental cost in the U.S. in 2013, up 3.2 percent for all of 2013, according to Reis Inc.: $1,083

Percentage of former homeowners who said they prefer renting: 46

Source: Apartments.com.

Cost per month of a $4 cappuccino on the way to work, according to CreditDonkey: $88

Amount that can be saved per year by bringing your own thermos filled with coffee: $900

Source: CreditDonkey.com.

Ranks of Budweiser's "Puppy Love," David Beckham for H&M and Ellen Degeneres as Goldilocks for Beats Music on the list of the top Super Bowl commercials, according to Lambert, Edwards & Associates: 1, 2, 3

Source: Lambert, Edwards & Associates.

Idle Thought

"Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?" -- Abraham Lincoln

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

Average annual Valentine's Day spending, according to the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association survey: $13.19 million

Number of Valentine's Day cards exchanged annually: 180 million

Average number of roses produced for Valentine's Day: 196 million

Percentage of women who would end their relationship if they didn't get something for Valentine's Day: 53

Source: NRF.

Estimated number of firms in the U.S. making chocolate products, an industry worth $13.5 billion a year, according to the Census Bureau: 1,200

Estimated number of candy stores across the nation selling all forms of confections: 3,300

Average number of pounds of candy consumed by each American annually: 25

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who have reviewed a product or service who claim that they never bought, used or even tried the product, according to YouGov research: 21

Of these, percentage who said they did so because they "just felt like it": 32

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of American football fans (meaning they and/or their spouse/partner follow professional football) who reported that they gained weight during this football season, according to a survey conducted on behalf of Nutrisystem: 25

Average gain among those that have gained weight this football season: 10 pounds

Percentage who admitted they had gained 20 or more pounds: 16

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of Americans who had committed to a New Year's resolution who have already given up, according to the Sears and Kmart's New Year's resolution survey findings: 53

Ranks of exercising, eating healthier and losing weight on the list of the top broken resolutions: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of Americans who say they easily gave up on their New Year's resolutions because they are too hard to maintain on their own: 69

Source: Sears Holdings.

Percentage of Americans who agree that soup warms America's heart and should be the official meal of winter, according to The Snapware brand sponsored survey: 86

Ranks of a hot cup of soup, cuddling, putting on favorite PJs and taking a warm bath on the list of the best ways to warm up during the winter: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Zeno Group.

Number of times more frequently that women tweet about Valentine's Day than men and are more positive about the holiday, according to NM Incite (a Nielsen/McKinsey company): 2

Percentage of men's tweets about Valentine's Day that are positive: 10

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Number of job changes over a 10-year period it would take for a professional to be viewed as a job hopper, according to a survey of HR managers by Robert Half: 5

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of Americans who will be spending Valentine's Day with a movie, according to a survey by Redbox: 61

Percentage of respondents who would prefer a homemade meal on Valentine's Day: 37.7

Source: Redbox.

Ranks of restaurant gift cards, jewelry, clothing/apparel, flowers, chocolate and perfume/cologne on the list of most preferred gifts chosen by American adults for Valentine's Day, according to a survey by the National Restaurant Association: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: National Restaurant Association.

Idle Thought

"Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love." -- Claude Monet, painter

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

Estimated total worth of real estate holdings of the world's billionaires, according to the Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2013: $169 billion

Average per billionaire this equates to: $78 billion

Average number of homes billionaires own, many of which are based in trophy cities such as London, New York and Paris: 4

Source: Wealth-X.

Percentage of American households who think it is an achievable goal to be debt-free at retirement, with only 30 percent stating they will be able to live comfortably in retirement, according to research from Mintel: 48

Percentage of U.S. consumers who state they are comfortable that they have enough set aside in a savings account for unexpected expenses: 25

Percentage (roughly 20 million households) who don't think they'll ever be debt-free: 17

Source: Mintel.

Number of cases of wine consumed in the United States annually, according to the Wine Institute and the Department of Commerce Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau: 330 million

Number of cases of wine consumed in France annually: 320.6 million

French population versus that of the U.S.: 65.7 million vs. 313.9 million

Source: Wine Institute.

Estimated average per capita income in America, according to the Census Bureau: $28,000

For family households, estimated median income: $64,000

Estimated number of personal financial advisers in the United States, helping Americans reach their goals and turn that income into more net worth: 175,000

Source: Census Bureau.

Ranks of Italy, England, Hawaii, Costa Rica and Mexico on the list of chart-toppers for families traveling in 2014, according to Virtuoso, the international network of luxury travel agencies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Within the U.S. travel market, ranks of New York, Maui, Napa Valley/Sonoma, Las Vegas and Hawaii's Big Island on the list of preferred destinations: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of exploring new destinations, rest and relaxation, seeking authentic experiences in new destinations, rediscovering previously visited destinations and personal enrichment on the list of the top reasons people will travel in 2014: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Virtuoso.

Percentage of adults who follow at least one sport who say professional football is their favorite sport, according to the results of a survey by Harris Interactive: 35

Percentage who say baseball is their favorite: 14

Rank of college football, auto racing and men's professional basketball on the list of favorite sports to watch: 3, 4, 5

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of workers who said their typical lunch break lasts 30 minutes or less, according to an OfficeTeam survey: 48

Percentage who admitted they work during lunch breaks: 29

Percentage who run errands: 25

Source: OfficeTeam.

Ranks of Bella, Max and Buddy on the list of the most popular names for dogs in 2013, according to Banfield Applied Research & Knowledge (BARK): 1, 2, 3

Ranks of Kitty, Bella and Tiger on the list of the most popular names for cats in 2013: 1, 2, 3

Source: Banfield Pet Hospital.

In tests in six major U.S. cities, percentage of gas pump and mail box handles that were highly contaminated, potentially exposing people to illness-causing bacteria, according to a study by Kimberly-Clark Professional: 65

Percentage of escalator rails and ATM machine buttons that were highly contaminated: 40

In hotel rooms, rank of TV remotes and bathroom sink faucets among the most contaminated surfaces: 1

Source: Kimberly-Clark Professional.

Percentage of Gen Y consumers (born between 1977 and 1994) who do not currently own or lease a vehicle because they cannot afford it, according to a Deloitte report on global mobility: 61

Percentage of respondents who said their lifestyle needs are met by walking or public transportation: 67

Source: Deloitte Public Relations.

Idle Thought

"Patience is also a form of action." -- Auguste Rodin, sculptor

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