Figuratively Speaking

Length of the average loan term in months for new and used vehicles, respectively, reaching all-time highs, according to Experian Automotive: 67 and 62

Percentage of loans accounted for by terms of 73 months to 84 months, again a record: 29.5

Average value of a new vehicle loan: $28,711

Average monthly payment for a new vehicle: $485

Source: Experian Automotive.

Rank of married men or women having an affair as the least morally acceptable behavior among 19 behaviors measured by Gallup: 1

Percentage who say having a child out of wedlock is OK (vs. 45 percent in 2002): 61

Source: Gallup Organization.

Percentage of Americans who say that it is possible for them to save $25 a week more than they are currently saving, according to an Employee Benefit Research Institute survey: 69

If they were to do that, percentage who would have to give up eating out or ordering takeout: 46

Percentage who would have to give up soft drinks or snacks from vending machines: 13

Percentage who say they would have to give up movies, videos, DVDs or streaming service: 12

Source: EBRI.

Amount of money shelled out by parents to repair or replace smartphones, tablets or laptops after their children have broken them, according to a report by Square Trade: $11 billion

Percentage of tech-related accidents that were the result of children accidentally dropping a device: 58

Percentage of kids who tried to blame it on somebody else: 20

Source: SquareTrade.

Percentage of Americans who say they turn off lights, TVs or other appliances when not in use in order to improve energy efficiency at home, down from 82 percent in 2012, according to the results of The Harris Poll: 75

Percentage who are replacing incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs, down from 58 percent in 2012: 50

Percentage who say they use low-watt bulbs where lighting isn't critical: 46

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of adults who say that being in control of who can get information about them is important, according to Pew Research: 93

Percentage who say that controlling what information is collected about them is important: 90

Percentage of Americans who also value having the ability to share confidential matters with another trusted person: 93

Percentage who say they do not wish to be observed without their approval: 88

Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Percentage of companies that don't have a preference of promoting within or pursuing outside hires, according to a survey by the American Management Association: 55

Percentage who focus on developing and retaining talent: 34

Percentage who say they have a high turnover and recruit aggressively: 11

Source: American Management Association.

Number of times more likely millennials (versus boomers) are to say that when they go to buy a new home, they want it equipped with smartphone technology, according to a survey by Cartus: 5

Number of times more likely baby boomers are than millennials to say that what they want in a new home is a bedroom on the main floor: 8

Source: Cartus.

Percentage of Americans who say their favorite kind of doughnut is cream filled, according to an Ipsos poll for National Donut Day: 22

Percentage who favor plain glazed: 18

Percentage of respondents who prefer jelly filled: 11

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of people who say they had planned to purchase a gift for Dad this year, compared to the 83 percent who purchased Mother's Day gifts for Mom, according to a recent survey by RetailMeNot: 73

Average amount shoppers spend to buy gifts for Dad: $57

Average amount they spent to buy gifts for Mom: $85

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Idle Thought

"It is chiefly through books that we enjoy intercourse with superior minds." -- William Ellery Channing, clergyman and writer

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

Percentage of single men who would date a woman who makes considerably more money than they do, according to a survey by Match.com: 87

Percentage of single women who don't care if a man makes as much money as they do: 51

Percentage of women who would not date someone who has considerable debt: 63

Source: Match.com.

Percentage of CFOs who say being distracted during meetings (checking smartphone, writing emails, etc.) is the No. 1 etiquette breach by employees, according to an Accountemps survey: 27

Percentage who say gossiping about others in the office: 18

Percentage who say not responding to calls or emails in a timely way: 18

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of parents who use saving as their top strategy to fund their children's education, according to College Savings Foundation: 45

Percentage who use scholarships, grants or direct aid: 30

Percentage who use loans or borrow money: 15

Source: College Savings Foundation.

Percentage of employers who say are hiring seasonal workers this summer, according to a Careerbuilder survey: 36

Percentage of employers offering jobs that pay twice the minimum wage: 53

Percentage of employers who would consider making their summer jobs permanent: 77

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of millennials who say they have a love affair with their car, according to a survey by autotrader.com: 27

Percentage who believe the car is an extension of themselves: 48

Percentage who say they have named their car: 29

Source: Auto Trader.com.

Percentage of brides-to-be who say they would prefer a memorable proposal over a ring they absolutely adore, according to a poll by David's Bridal: 56

Percentage who would settle for a lousy proposal so long as it involved the perfect hardware: 44

Percentage of respondents who are in favor of the ring selfie on social media: 60

Percentage who post a photo within an hour of saying "yes": 37

Source: David's Bridal Inc.

Percentage by which vinyl record sales increased in the U.S. since 2009, according to a report by Nielsen: 260

Ranks of the Beatles' "Abbey Road," Mumford & Sons "Sign No More" and Bon Iver's "For Emma Forever Ago" as the top-selling vinyl albums: 1, 2, 3

Source: Nielsen Insights.

Number of years of life a smoker loses, on average, according to the American Cancer Society: 5.1

Number of people tobacco is expected to kill this century: 1 billion

Source: American Cancer Society.

Ranks of the financial situation of children and grandchildren, aging parents and health of spouse as the top three concerns of high-income women, according to the Spectrem Group: 1, 2, 3

Source: Spectrem Group.

Percentage of Americans who sometimes look at the nutritional information on food and beverage items, according to data by PackagedFacts.com: 87

Percentage who prefer fewer and simpler ingredients in their groceries: 67

Source: Packaged Facts.

Idle Thought

"Pleasure may come from illusion, but happiness can come only of reality." -- Nicolas de Chamfort, writer

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

Percentage of Americans who say the technology sector has a positive reputation, according to a Harris survey: 77

Percentage who say the energy sector has a positive reputation: 45

Percentage who say the financial services sector has a positive reputation: 35

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of people without children who say they are happy, according to a Care.com and Yahoo survey: 91

Percentage of parents who say they are happy: 81

Percentage of people who were child-free who thought they would be happier if they were a parent: 54

Percentage of parents who think they are happier than those without kids: 30

Source: Care.com.

Purse in the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao title match, according to Wealth-X: $300 million

Amount Mayweather has taken home from the fight: $180 million

Percentage by which his net worth increased (to $330 million): 37

Source: Wealth-X.

Percentage of Americans who say they would delay their retirement by a year in exchange for a trip of their dreams, according to a survey by Country Financial: 49

Percentage who would swap their current job for a lower-paying one if it meant they could have more time to travel: 11

Source: Country Financial.

Average percentage of the U.S. population that Americans estimate to be gay, according to a poll by Gallup: 23

Percentage of the population who actually identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender: 3.8

Source: Gallup Organization.

Percentage of the top 10 training courses offered by the American Management Association that have to do with communications, according to an AMA study of 25,000 individuals taking courses in 40 cities: 80

Number of years in a row in which communications courses have held such a rank: 3

Source: American Management Association.

Percentage of accounting and finance professionals who say solving problems gives them the most career satisfaction: 41

Percentage who say their greatest satisfaction comes in working with numbers: 32

Source: Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

Number of unintentional drownings that happen every day in the United States, according to the Red Cross: 10

Percentage of parents who report that their child cannot demonstrate all five basic skills that could save their lives in the water: 61

Percentage of adults who are not able to perform all five water-safety skills who expect to supervise a child near water this summer: 18

Percentage of parents who expect their children will engage in some form of water activity this summer: 94

Source: American Red Cross.

Percentage of all cyber attacks that involve a weak password, according to a study by Modis: 80

Percentage of cyber breaches that are deliberate and malicious: 90

Estimated average financial loss from a cyber security incident (globally): $2.7 million

Source: Modis.

Percentage of all patients undergoing cosmetic procedures in 2014 who were between the ages of 45 and 54, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons: 49

Source: American Society of Plastic Surgery.

Idle Thought

"Truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." -- Flannery O'Connor, writer

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