Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of Americans who turn their televisions on as soon as they wake up, according to a survey commissioned by LG Electronics USA: 38

Percentage who fall asleep with the TV on: 61

Source: LG Electronics USA Inc.

Percentage of all motor vehicle crashes that is now estimated to involve the use of cellphones, according to the National Safety Council: 26

Estimated percentage of cellphone-related crashes that involve texting: 5

Percentage that involve drivers talking on handheld or hands-free cellphones: 21

Source: National Safety Council.

Ranks of South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Romania and the Netherlands on the list of the fastest average Internet connection speeds by country, according to Pew Research: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Rank of the United States on the list: 12

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

Year an asphalt mix, invented by Edward de Smedt, was laid on William Street in Newark, New Jersey, according to the Census Bureau: 1870

Number of miles of paved highway in the entire country by 1904: 154

Estimated number of miles of paved urban streets in the nation today: 1 million

Number of miles of interstate roads and other freeways: 61,000

Source: Census Bureau.

Beyond basic factors such as salary and benefits, ranks of the prospect of long-term job security, a pleasant working atmosphere and good work/life balance on the list of employment options important to job seekers, according to a 2014 Employer Branding Study released by Randstad US: 1, 2, 3

Source: Randstad US.

Percentage of Americans who say the country would be better governed with more female political leaders -- up slightly from 57 percent in 1995 and 2000, according to a Gallup poll: 63

Percentage of Americans who think the country would be better governed if more people who are religious were in office: 51

Source: Gallup Organization.

When asked how often they wash their hands after using their own bathroom at home, percentage of people who admit to not washing their hands all of the time, according to findings from Life and Omnibus Research: 38

Percentage who admit to never washing their hands: 3

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of older Americans who say that either they or a family member have experienced excessive or unwanted medical treatment, the equivalent of about 25 million people, according to a survey conducted by Purple Insights: 24

Source: Compassion & Choices.

Of teens who say they never text while driving, percentage who still admit to texting at a red light or stop sign, according to a survey from Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD): 47

Percentage of teens who define their designated driver as allowed to have "a little" alcohol or drugs, as long as they aren't too impaired to drive: 21

Percentage who describe their designated driver as the "most" sober person in the group: 4

Source: Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Percentage of business-to-business marketers and salespeople from around the world who identified "opportunity creation" conversations as having the highest impact on helping salespeople achieve quota, according to a survey by Corporate Visions: 38

Percentage who feel adequately prepared to create new sales opportunities with the content and training provided to them by their organizations: 50

Source: Corporate Visions, Inc.

Idle Thought

"A pedestal is as much a prison as any small space." -- Gloria Steinem

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

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Percentage of Americans who haven't had a vacation in more than two years, down 5 points from last year, according to a survey for Allianz Global Assistance: 39

Percentage who won't take a summer vacation, but intend to take an annual vacation at some other point in time this year: 13

Source: Allianz Global Assistance.

Percentage of Americans who say that legal recognition of same-sex marriage is "inevitable," including 85 percent of gay marriage supporters, as well as 59 percent of its opponents, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center: 72

Percentage of the public who favor same-sex marriage: 51

Today, percentage of the public who say they know someone who is gay or lesbian, up from 61 percent in 1993: 87

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

Percentage of Americans who believe that people typically end up splurging and spending more money than they planned to during road trips, according to surveys conducted by RetailMeNot in conjunction with The Omnibus Co.: 95

Ranks of staying within budget, finding affordable gas and locating restaurants with good deals on the list of factors that people most commonly find hard to do: 1, 2, 3

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of senior managers who said not asking others for help is the top networking mistake, according to an OfficeTeam survey: 42

Percentage who said failing to keep in touch with contacts is a mistake: 28

Percentage who said not thanking people for their help is the biggest mistake: 17

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of Americans who expect the bride to wear a white dress: 54

Percentage who believe in "waiting" for the wedding night: 51

Source: Harris Interactive.

Rank of the Ritz Carlton Central Park in New York City on the list of the most expensive luxury hotels in America, with an average price tag of $874 per night for the least-expensive double room, according to luxury-hotels.com: 17

Source: Luxury-Hotels.com.

Percentage of Americans traveling by plane who have ever been on a flight with somebody suffering from air rage, according to research by YouGov: 13

Percentage of travelers who admit to feeling their own stress-related rage while flying: 17

Ranks of cost, small seats, a lack of seating space and security checkpoints on the list of things about flying that frustrate almost half of Americans: 1, 2, 3 (tie)

Source: YouGov.

Though many may pine for the physical appearance they had in their younger years, percentage of America's seniors who indicate that they always feel good about their physical appearance, compared with 61 percent of 18-to-34-year-olds: 66

Percentage of middle-aged Americans who report feeling good about their appearance: 54

Source: Gallup Organization.

Ranks of local banks, online retailers, credit card companies and online e-commerce companies on the list of companies that are most likely to be seen as doing a good job of protecting their customers' personal information and privacy, according to a survey by Ipsos Public Affairs: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of Americans who have experienced negative consequences as the result of a data breach, including those who lost money but were reimbursed (13 percent), those who lost money and were never reimbursed (5 percent) and those who had their identity stolen (5 percent): 20

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

IDLE THOUGHT

"The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it." -- Jean-Paul Sartre, writer and philosopher

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

As of Dec. 31, 2013, number of convenience stores in the United States, according to figures released by the National Association of Convenience Stores: 151,282

Of all retail outlets in the U.S., percentage that is accounted for by convenience stores: 34.3

Source: National Association of Convenience Stores.

Percentage of American adults who claim to have used an online dating site, according to a survey by YouGov: 21

Of those, percentage of adults aged 35 to 54 who have gone on dates with someone they met online: 76

Percentage of the younger users, aged 18 to 34, who have gone on dates with someone they met online: 47

Source: YouGov.

Number of Americans who die every day from opioid prescription painkillers -- more deaths than heroin and cocaine overdoses combined -- according to the National Safety Council: 45

Percentage of the world's population living in the U.S.: 4.6

Percentage of the world's opioids that are consumed here: 80

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of Americans who think baseball players are paid more than they are worth, according to a survey by the Saint Leo University Polling Institute: 67

Source: Saint Leo University Polling Institute.

Percentage of children age 6 to 17 who have at least one electronic device on in their bedroom while they are sleeping, according to findings from the National Sleep Foundation's Sleep in America 2014 poll: 72

On average, number of hours of sleep per night that teens who leave devices on are estimated to get on school nights: 7.2 hours

On average, number of hours of sleep per night that teens who never leave devices on are estimated to get: 7.7 hours

Source: National Sleep Foundation.

Percentage of shoppers who said they would lend money to a friend, according to a CreditDonkey.com survey: 66

Percentage who said they would lend money to a family member: 81

Source: CreditDonkey.com.

Percentage of people who worry that they will not be able to retire at the time and in the style they hoped for: 78

Percentage who would consider developing a budget: 64

Percentage who would be open to setting a specific financial goal for the future: 52

Percentage who would be likely to hire a financial adviser: 16

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Despite increased fees and stricter size restrictions, percentage of travelers who said they still prefer to check their luggage, according to findings from surveys conducted by The GO Group LLC: 32

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, amount of money that passenger airlines collected in baggage fees in 2013, 1.6 percent of total operating revenue: $797 million

Source: GO Airport Express.

Percentage of American adults online who use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or LinkedIn, according to Pew Research: 66

Percentage who say that connecting with old friends they've lost touch with is a major reason behind their use of these technologies: 50

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

Percentage of workers age 50 and over who change jobs or retire who elect to leave the money from their defined contribution account, such as a 401(k), in the prior employer's plan, according to EBRI's analysis of data from the Health and Retirement Study: 27.4

Percentage who are receiving the benefits now: 26.1

Percentage who roll it over into an IRA: 24.9

Source: EBRI.

Idle Thought

"It's best to give while your hand is still warm." -- Philip Roth, novelist

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