Figuratively Speaking

Of the nearly 16,570 new stores that opened between 2007 and 2013, percentage that were dollar stores, according to Nielsen Report: 36

Percentage that were convenience stores: 32

Percentage that were drugstores: 21

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

In 1997, percentage of the workforce over age 25 that was accounted for by workers ages 25 to 54, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute: 83.9

In 2012, percentage of the workforce over age 25 that was accounted for by workers ages 25 to 54: 73.8

In 1997, percentage of the workforce accounted for by workers ages 55 to 64: 12

Percentage of the workforce accounted for by workers ages 55 to 64 in 2012: 19.2

Source: EBRI.

After the tears go away, percentage of parents who are just as ready as their kids are to start a new chapter in life once their kids leave the house, according to a RetailMeNot survey: 74

Ranks of traveling, spending time with friends and pampering themselves on the list of changes parents say they will make: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of parents who would turn their kids' bedrooms into something else, like a gym or office, when they leave the house: 13

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of Americans who agree that relaxation is essential for their overall health and well-being, according to results from a survey by Princess Cruises: 99

On average, number of hours per day Americans spend unwinding: 1

Percentage of respondents who frequently feel guilty about relaxing: 38

Percentage who feel stressed out by the mere thought of trying to relax: 28

Source: Princess Cruises.

Percentage of all American men who look at pornography at least monthly, according to a survey by Proven Men Ministries and conducted by Barna Group: 64

Percentage of men between the ages of 18 and 30 who view pornography at least monthly: 79

Percentage of men of all ages who think they might be addicted to pornography or are unsure if they are addicted: 18

Source: Proven Men Ministries Ltd.

Percentage of students at 37 Laureate network institutions who believe that the university of the future will provide content free online for most courses, according to a survey by Laureate Education Inc., and conducted by Zogby Analytics: 43

Percentage of the respondents who believe that most courses will be offered at all times of the day or night: 52

Source: Laureate Education Inc.

Associated with the return to classrooms by our nation's students and teachers, estimated amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2013, according to the Census Bureau: $2.6 billion

Estimated amount spent at bookstores in August 2013: $1.6 billion

Source: Census Bureau.

Estimated number of jobs that temporary help services have added so far in 2014 -- and more than 200,000 year over year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: 100,000

Percentage of senior managers who said that when it comes to evaluating someone's work background, a long period of consistent temporary assignments is comparable to full-time employment, according to a survey by OfficeTeam: 51

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of Americans who say they are spending more today than they were a year ago, according to a Gallup poll: 45

Source: Gallup Organization.

Percentage of U.S. teenagers ages 13 to 17 who believe that with the legalization of marijuana, teenagers may be more likely to experiment with the drug, according to a study commissioned by Rosecrance and conducted by Wakefield Research: 76

Percentage of teenagers who believe having easier access to marijuana may accelerate teens in trying other drugs: 73

Source: Rosecrance.

Idle Thought

"Action is eloquence." -- William Shakespeare

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

581-7323

Percentage of Americans who believe that Congress has been working hard enough to deserve its August recess, according to the Economist/YouGov poll: 9

Last year, number of weeks of vacation that Americans said a president deserves -- more than the average American worker: 3

This year, number of weeks of August vacation that Americans say Barack Obama has worked hard enough to deserve: 1

Source: YouGov.

Number of children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2012 from nursery school to college, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 78 million

Percentage of the entire population age 3 and older that this represents: 26.4

Number of school-age children (ages 5 to 17) who spoke a language other than English at home in 2012: 12 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Average amount that parents spend on school-related costs throughout the year per family, according to a survey conducted by RetailMeNot and The Omnibus Co.: $659

Percentage of parents who spend less on themselves due to the cost of their child's education: 75

Ranks of clothing or shoes, dining out and vacations on the list of the top items parents have cut back on for themselves: 1, 2, 3

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of employees who said being courteous to co-workers can greatly accelerate advancement in a person's career prospects, according to an Accountemps Survey: 44

Ranks of "using a speakerphone or talking loudly on the phone," "loitering or talking around a colleague's desk," "eating foods that have strong odors," and "keeping a messy or cluttered workspace" on the list of the biggest breaches of workplace etiquette in an open office environment: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Accountemps.

Amount that the average summer vacationer planned to spend on a family vacation this year, up approximately $139 from 2013, according to an Ipsos Public Affairs poll conducted on behalf of Allianz Global Assistance: $1,894

With more people already intending to travel, amount the increase in spending translates to for the American travel and tourism economy this year: $18 billion

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of people who have a good friend they have met online, but never in person, according to Skout's International Friendship Day survey: 76

Percentage of women who say they have a good friend they have met online: 83

Percentage of men who say the same: 73

Source: Skout.

In 2013, number of travelers who hit the road for Labor Day, the highest number in five years, according to a report by the American Automobile Association: 34.1 million

In 2014, percentage rise in the demand for air tickets over Labor Day weekend, with the majority of travelers departing on Friday, Aug. 29, according to booking data from Expedia.com: 20

Source: Expedia.

Percentage of buyers who say they will shop together with their student in-store, according to the results of Baynote's Back-to-School shopper behavior survey: 70

Percentage of respondents who said their student's wish list is influential in the purchasing process, second only to school-supplied lists: 85

Source: Baynote.

As a result of recent political turmoil, percentage of Americans who said they are afraid to fly internationally, according to a poll conducted for TheStreet by GfK1: 36

Source: TheStreet Inc.

Average spending on required course materials for students during the 2013-14 academic year, according to the Student Watch Spring 2014 survey by OnCampus Research: $638

Approximate number of college stores across the U.S. that utilize price comparison software that all students can take advantage of when buying new or used books: 400

Source: National Association of College Stores.

Idle Thought

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." -- Galileo

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

Percentage of all employees who report that they feel guilty using all of their allotted vacation days, according to a poll of full-time working adults conducted on behalf of Randstad: 26

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

Source: Randstad-USA.

Percentage of Americans who say companies should be allowed to refuse to hire people because they are significantly overweight, according to a Gallup poll: 12

Percentage who say companies should be allowed to refuse to hire smokers: 14

Source: Gallup.

Among cheaters who were asked their reason for cheating, percentage who said, "It just happened," according to an Adam & Eve survey about couples' sexual habits: 45

Percentage who said they did it because "it was exciting": 33

Source: Adam & Eve.

Year that one of the engines of business and personal life in the 21st century, the World Wide Web, was developed and released by two scientists at the Cern Laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1991

Percentage of households in the U.S. that have Internet access at home, and includes about 95 percent of all homes with computers: 75

Percentage of Americans over the age of 3 who have multiple avenues and devices to connect to the Web: 25

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Number of used vehicles taken off U.S. roads due to 2009's "Cash for Clunkers," as well as historically poor sales years from 2008 to 2012, according to ALG: 700,000

As a result of the strength of new car sales and the popularity of short 24- and 36-month leases, projected percentage retentive value of a new car after three years: 49.4

Source: ALG.

In 2013, approximate number of consumer accounts that third-party debt collectors received from creditor clients, according to findings of a new survey by Ernst & Young and the debt collection trade association ACA International: 1 billion

Face value of these accounts: $756 billion

Amount actually recovered (7 percent): $55.2 billion

Source: Ernst & Young LLP.

Rank of Nantucket, Massachusetts, the idyllic island located about 30 miles south of Cape Cod, on the list of North America's most expensive destinations in terms of its lodging cost, according to a survey from CheapHotels.org: 1

On average, amount of money visitors to Nantucket will have to spend per night for the most affordable double room: $301

Ranks of Portland, Maine ($276), Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts ($274), and Montauk, New York, ($264) on the list: 2, 3, 4

Source: Cheaphotels.org.

Percentage of families who agree that college is a worthwhile investment, according to How America Pays for College 2014, a national study from Sallie Mae and Ipsos: 98

On average, percentage of college costs paid by family: 42

Percentage paid with loans (the lowest level in five years): 22

Percentage of college costs paid by grants and scholarships: 31

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs

Estimated amount of money that Americans spent on pet products and services in 2013, according to the Brown, Gibbons, Lang & Co. report: $62 billion

Source: Brown, Gibbons, Lang & Co.

Estimated amount of money spent by the 33 million anglers in the United States on expenses related to the sport, including equipment, transportation and lodging, according to research conducted by Southwick Associates Inc. on behalf of the American Sportfishing Association: $48 billion

Number of jobs these expenditures support: 828,000

Source: Southwick Associates Inc.

Idle Thought

"An honest man speaks the truth, though it may give offense; a vain man, in order that it may." -- William Hazlitt, essayist

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