Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of senior managers who said taking too little time off was the biggest mistake they made with their last vacation, according to a survey by OfficeTeam: 34

Percentage who said not being able to get their mind off work: 25

Percentage who cited checking in with the office too much: 22

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of respondents to a National Safety Council public opinion poll who say there should be more enforcement of texting laws while driving: 73

Estimated percentage of all crashes that involve cellphone use: 26

When asked what type of penalties they'd like to see, percentage of respondents who chose penalties including a point system that could lead to the loss of a driver's license or increased insurance costs: 52

Source: National Safety Council.

Estimated current net worth of Hillary and Bill Clinton, a far cry from the $4 million plus they had in the bank in 2001 at the end of Bill's tenure as U.S. president, according to a Wealth-X estimate: $120 million

Source: Wealth-X.

Percentage of senior managers who believe it is OK to ask about compensation and benefits in the first job interview, according to the results of a Robert Half survey, up from 30 percent when the question was asked in 2009: 31

Percentage who suggest waiting for the second interview, up from 26 percent: 38

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of lost pets who went missing after being scared by the sound of fireworks or other loud outside noises, according to a study by The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: 19

Percentage of those who lost pets who said they had never anticipated losing a pet the way they did: 64

Source: ASPIC.

If worldwide growth continues at the current rate, projected population by 2050, adding twice the current population of China, according to the Institute of Food Technologists: 9 billion

Source: Institute of Food Technologists.

Percentage of Americans who say they believe getting behind the wheel after one or two drinks is dangerous, according to results of The Harris Poll: 68

Percentage who say they've driven at a time when they'd likely had too much to drink: 37

Percentage who say they're more likely to drive after a few drinks when only going a short distance: 30

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of U.S. employees who suspect they have hearing loss, but have not sought treatment, according to a research survey by EPIC Hearing Healthcare: 30

Of those, percentage who say it impacts them on the job: 95

Percentage of employees who believe their untreated hearing loss makes it necessary to ask people to repeat what they said: 61

Source: EPIC Hearing Healthcare.

When asked why they cook on the grill, percentage of consumers who said the No. 1 reason is that they prefer the taste of grilled food, according to Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association data: 61

Ranks of personal satisfaction, ease/convenience, entertainment and inexpensive on the list of reasons consumers like to barbecue: 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association.

Percentage of Americans who support euthanasia -- when asked whether they believe physicians should be able to legally "end (a) patient's life by some painless means," according to a Gallup poll: 69

When Gallup began asking this question about euthanasia in 1947, percentage of Americans who were likely to support euthanasia: 37

Source: Gallup.

"Idle Thought"

"Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from that of their social environment." -- Albert Einstein

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

Percentage of working adults who feel compelled to check in with work even while on vacation, according to a poll of full-time working adults conducted on behalf of Randstad: 42

Despite this sense of guilt, percentage who report feeling more productive after they return from vacation: 67

Source: Randstad USA.

Average rate per night to stay in the most affordable double room at The Ranch at Rock Creek, close to the historic mining town of Philipsburg, Montana, according to survey from Luxury-Hotels.com: $2,385

Ranks of The Ranch at Rock Creek, The Point (Lake Placid, New York -- $2,138) and The Resort at Paws Up (Greenough, Montana -- $1,847) on the list of the 10 most expensive luxury hotels in the United States: 1, 2, 3

Source: Luxury-Hotels.com.

Percentage of employers (including 76 percent of men) who believe women are better-suited for business success in terms of their communication and interpersonal skills, according to a study by KRC Research: 82

Percentage of respondents (including 76 percent of men) who rate women higher in terms of their organizational skills: 86

Percentage of respondents, including a majority of women, who say men are better-suited to business success in terms of their leadership abilities: 64

Source: KRC Research.

While dating sites and dating apps remain a popular topic of conversation among Americans, percentage of American adults who claim to have used one, according to a survey by YouGov: 21

Of those who have used dating sites and apps, percentage of adults aged 35 to 54 who have gone on dates with someone they met online, compared to younger users aged 18 to 34 (47 percent): 76

Source: YouGov.

Year that the long-playing record (LP), developed by Peter Goldmark of CBS Labs, was first shown to the public, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1948

Decade that CDs began to replace LPs: 1980s

Decade that digital downloads of music began to drive down CD sales: 1990s

Total music purchases in 2012, down from an estimated $12 billion in 2003: $7 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who have no emergency savings, according to a Bankrate.com report: 26

Even among the highest-income households -- those with annual income of $75,000 or above -- percentage who currently have a six-month savings cushion: 46

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of Americans who would use an extra hour in their day to do more, according to a poll released by Heart+Mind Strategies: 50

Ranks of relax, spend time with family, exercise and pursue a hobby (read, knit, garden, golf, etc.) on the list of answers detailing how that hour would be spent: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Heart+Mind Strategies.

Percentage of Americans who are opposed to the proposed $45.2 billion merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable, according to a public opinion poll by the Consumer Reports National Research Center: 56

Percentage of Americans who agree that the merger will result in higher Internet and cable prices for everyone: 74

Percentage of respondents who believe consumers will have fewer choices when it comes to cable and Internet providers because smaller companies will not be able to compete with Comcast: 74

Source: Consumers Union.

Percentage of global respondents who said that host country Brazil would be victorious in the final game of the FIFA World Cup, according to a pre-Cup poll by Ipsos: 69

Percentage of Brazilians who agreed: 36

Source: Ipsos Global Public Affairs.

Percentage of plus-size women who said they were "confident" or "very confident" in themselves, according to a survey conducted by plus-size apparel brand JMS/Just My Size: 64

Percentage of respondents who said that they were more confident today than five years ago: 75

Source: Just My Size.

Idle Thought

"Every man has his secret sorrows, which the world knows not; and oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad." -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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

Ranks of jewelry, event tickets and electronics on the list of what consumers categorize as "splurge" purchases, according to a survey by RetailMeNot: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of consumers who consider cars to be splurges: 39

Percentage who consider purses/briefcases to be splurges: 34

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of consumers who continue to "feel" overcharged in the auto repair process and rank the experience of going to the repair shop/dealership to get their car repaired on a par with going to the dentist (with women preferring the dentist), according to a consumer survey from AutoMD.com: 83

Percentage of women who have a negative view of the auto service center/repair shop experience, with only 12 percent viewing it positively: 44

Source: AutoMD.com.

Percentage of consumers who check to see if the products they are buying are "natural," despite there being no federal or third-party verified definition for this term, according to a survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center: 59

Percentage of consumers who believe that packaged foods carrying the "natural" label should not include artificial ingredients: 87

Source: Consumer Reports.

Despite a recent study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) that found two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, percentage of Americans who say they are neither overweight nor are they trying to lose weight, according to data aggregated from Gallup's Health and Healthcare surveys from 2011 through 2013: 55

Percentage of Americans who describe themselves as being overweight: 40

Source: Gallup.

Among the 36 million people who moved between 2012 and 2013, percentage who said the most important reason for moving was to be closer to work or for an easier commute (up from 3 percent in 1999), according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau: 5

Percentage who cited the desire for cheaper housing (up from 6 percent in 1999): 8

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who will be packing a bag and hitting the road this summer when they take at least one summer road trip, according to a survey by Bridgestone Americas: 83

Percentage of respondents who choose road travel over air because it gives them greater flexibility: 58

Percentage of summer road travelers who choose to travel by vehicle rather than plane because their destination is too close to fly: 44

Percentage who say they just enjoy driving: 38

Source: Bridgestone Americas Inc.

Percentage of Americans who support the idea of a bride's father "giving her away," according to a Harris Poll: 84

Percentage who also agree with the tradition of having a women-only bridal shower: 74

Percentage who agree that the bride and groom should spend the night before their wedding apart: 71

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of Americans who would support legislation similar to a European law -- the "right to be forgotten" -- that allows citizens to request that links to "inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant" information be removed from search engines, according to a survey by YouGov: 55

Percentage of Americans who are most interested in removing financial information, including bankruptcy judgments: 35

Percentage who would erase links to ex-partners or friends: 29

Source: YouGov.

With the 2014 FIFA World Cup underway, rank of Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal's forward and captain, on the list of the wealthiest footballers competing in this year's tournament in Brazil, according to Wealth-X: 1

Ronaldo's estimated net worth -- accounting for nearly one-quarter of the combined net worth of the 10 players in the Wealth-X World Cup Rich List, beating other high-profile soccer players such as Lionel Messi from Argentina and England's Wayne Rooney: $250 million

Source: Wealth-X.

Percentage of job hunters who look for an employer that is -- first and foremost -- honest, according to a 2014 Employer Branding Study released by Randstad-USA: 78

Ranks of reliable, secure and well-respected on the list of personality traits significant to job hunters: 2, 3, 4

Source: Randstad-USA.

Idle Thought

"There are many ways to be free. One of them is to transcend reality by imagination, as I try to do." -- Anais Nin, writer

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