Figuratively Speaking

Number of minutes that Americans talked on their mobile phones in 2015, according to survey results released by CTIA: 2.8 trillion

Number of texts, videos and photo messages Americans exchanged (more than 4 million every minute): 2.1 trillion

Source: CTIA.

Percentage of workers who admit to checking in with the office at least once or twice a week while on holiday, according to a survey from Accountemps: 41

Percentage of workers who took fewer or no days off because they worried about their colleagues absorbing their workload: 35

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of Americans who say that they feel they have too little motivation on a typical Monday, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos Connect on behalf of Spotify: 55

Ranks of coffee and music on the list of the top ranked pick-me-ups: 1, 2

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of employers who say two or more hours a day are lost in productivity because employees are distracted, according to a survey conducted on behalf of CareerBuilder: 75

Percentage who say at least three hours a day are lost: 43

Ranks of personal messaging, weather, news, games and shopping on the list of non-work related sites accessed for non-work use: 1, 2, 3, 4 (tie)

Percentage of employers who say lost productivity lowers morale because other workers have to pick up the slack: 38 percent

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

When asked to gauge the opinions of their fellow Americans, percentage of U.S. adults who estimate that Americans believe divorce is acceptable, according to the results of a Harris Poll: 88

Percentage of adults who believe that having parents who are divorced is better for children than having parents who are together but unhappy: 71

Percentage of children of divorce who share that sentiment: 82

Percentage of children who haven't experienced the divorce of their parents who say the same: 68

Source: The Harris Poll.

Given the state of the labor market, percentage of CEOs, CFOs, controllers and other senior-level people who said they expect it will be harder to fill open positions over the next 12 months, according to a survey by the American Institute of CPAs: 61

Source: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Percentage of CFOs who said strategic-thinking abilities are important for accounting and finance professionals, according to the results of a Robert Half Management Resources survey: 86

Percentage of executives who said their organization does not provide related professional development opportunities: 46

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Expected percentage growth in global wearable device wholesale revenues in 2016, with smartwatches capturing the biggest slice of the wearables revenue pie, according to a Strategy Analytics study: 31

Rank of fitness bands in terms of units-shipped worldwide: 1

Rank of the smartglasses segment on the list of the most anticipated revenue growth through 2022, estimated to become the second largest revenue pool by 2022 behind smartwatches: 1

Source: Strategy Analytics.

Percentage of respondents around the world who say grocery shopping is something they try to spend as little time as possible doing, according to Nielsen's Global Think Smaller for Big Growth Report: 46

Percentage of shoppers who say they actively seek products with healthful ingredients: 67

Ranks of banking, fast food, prepared food and pharmacy on the list of in-store add-on services that are the most widely available and used by global respondents: 1, 2 (tie), 4

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of adults who say they either could not cover an emergency expense costing $400 or would cover it by selling something or borrowing money, according to the report on the economic well-being of U.S. households prepared by the Consumer and Community Development Research Section of the Federal Reserve Board: 46

Percentage who experienced a major unexpected medical expense that they had to pay out of pocket: 22

Percentage of those who say they had a major medical expense that led them to owing debt: 46

Source: Federal Reserve Board.

Idle Thought

"Writing is the Latin of our times. The modern language of the people is video and sound." -- Lawrence Lessig, professor and political activist

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

Percentage of professionals who believe office politics are alive and well in the workforce, according to a survey by Accountemps: 80

Percentage who admit to taking part in office politics: 55

Percentage who said gossip is the most common form of office politics: 46

Percentage who said "politicking" is very necessary for career advancement: 28

Percentage who said gaining favor by flattering the boss is the most common form of office politics: 28

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of employees surveyed across the nation who believe that safety takes a back seat to productivity at their organizations, according to a survey by the National Safety Council: 33

Percentage of respondents in the construction industry who agreed: 60

Percentage of those working in agriculture, forestry, and fishing and hunting who felt safety was less of a priority than finishing tasks: 52

Ranks of those industries when it comes to the number of occupational deaths each year: 1, 2 (tie)

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of Americans whose summer travel plans have been affected by illness or natural disaster, according to U.S. Travel Insurance Association: 17

Percentage of those impacted who have the necessary insurance, according to a CardHub report: 22

Percentage of credit cards that offer travel accident insurance, providing an average of $352,000 in coverage: 93

Source: CardHub.

Rank of Arlington, Virginia, on the list of the best cities to retire, according to a Bankrate.com report: 1

Ranks of Franklin, Tennesee; Des Moines, Iowa; Sarasota, Florida; and Scottsdale, Arizona, on the list: 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of Americans for whom eating dinner at home entails cooking from scratch, according to the results of a Harris Poll: 78

Percentage of Americans who enjoy cooking, with over one-quarter enjoying it a great deal: 57

Of those who enjoy cooking the most, percentage who like to cook from scratch: 86

Ranks of "back pocket" recipes (42 percent), a recipe of their own design (32 percent) or a recipe passed down from a family member (25 percent) on the list of places Americans go when looking to cook something up: 1, 2, 3

Source: The Harris Poll.

In 2015, estimated number of reported injuries among people of all ages that were caused by fireworks, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): 29,200

Of these, number that required emergency room visits: 10,181

Total value of medical expenses: $166 million plus

Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Year that the Declaration of Independence, a document signed by 56 of America's Founding Fathers, proclaiming independence from English rule, was approved by the Continental Congress, according to U.S. News and DataLine: 1777

Number of people who will venture at least 50 miles from home to celebrate the Fourth, up 0.7 percent from last year, according to AAA: 42 million

Source: U.S. News.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, percentage of farms that are family owned: 97

Number of farmers, ranchers and agricultural managers this represents: 494,879

Median income of these workers: $30,597

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Amount of money Nationwide Insurance members spent on canine medical conditions that are commonly associated with dog park fun last year, according to Nationwide: $10 million

Estimated number of Nationwide-insured dogs that suffered soft tissue injuries or sprains, the most common medical condition on the list: 24,000

Source: Nationwide.

Ranks of family satisfaction, health and nutrition, and sustainability on the list of important factors that Americans consider when deciding what food to buy, according to the Cone Communications Food Issues Trend Tracker: 1, 2, 3

Percentage who consider where a product is produced when making food purchasing decisions: 89

Source: Cone Communications.

Idle Thought

"I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars." -- Walt Whitman

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

When asked to name which skills they think recent college graduates lack for the workplace, percentage of employers who cited interpersonal skills, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 52

Percentage who cited problem-solving skills: 48

Ranks of leadership, teamwork, written communication and oral communication on the list of other skills these employers are looking for: 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of homeowners who would rather walk around in their underwear than spend money to cool down their homes in the summer, according to the Lennox Home Energy Report Card survey: 26

If homeowners could save $50 each month on their summer electric bill, percentage who would be willing to turn up the temperature on their thermostat 10 degrees or more: 10

Percentage of homeowners who adjust their thermostat while sleeping: 61

Source: Lennox Industries.

Percentage of consumers who mistakenly think their credit scores and reports are public information, according to a survey by WalletHub: 34

Percentage of people who wouldn't date someone with bad credit: 34

Percentage who wouldn't marry someone with such a rating: 49

Percentage who think a great butt is more important than a great credit score: 22

Source: WalletHub.

Across all groups of workers, median age of retirement, regardless of gender or marital status, according to EBRI's recent Retirement Confidence Survey: 65

Percentage of women who say they are very likely to live until age 85: 38

Percentage of men who say the same: 35

Source: EBRI.

For centuries, rank of the month of June as the most popular choice for weddings, traditionally a time just after May's annual bath, so the happy couple and the guests were about as clean as could be hoped, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1

Each year, estimated number of weddings held across the nation: 2.1 million

Median age at first marriage for women (up five years since 1980): 27.6

Average age for men when they first take their vows: 29.5

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage more shower users than bathers who admitted to taking selfies in the shower more than once a week, according to an American Standard survey: 57

Percentage of respondents who admitted to cleaning the shower naked: 50

Percentage more shower users who say they sing in the shower than bathers: 89

Percentage of survey respondents who bathe who said they've actually participated in a teleconference or work phone call from the tub: 14.3

Source: American Standard.

Percentage of Americans who report feeling financial anxiety today, according to data from Northwestern Mutual: 85

Percentage who say their anxiety has gone up in the last three years: 36

Percentage who say financial anxiety is negatively impacting their happiness: 70

Source: Northwestern Mutual.

Percentage of American consumers who noticed that gas prices are higher, a rise of 18 cents over the past month, the fourth consecutive month of price increases, according to a survey by the National Association of Convenience Stores: 69

Price that consumers say gas would have to reach before they would reduce how much they drive: $3.51

Source: National Association of Convenience Stores.

Percentage of Americans who favor legalizing marijuana for medical use, up from 74 percent in 2011, according to a Harris Poll: 81

Percentage of Americans who are supportive of legalizing marijuana for recreational use, up from 42 percent in 2011: 49

When asked about the effects legalizing marijuana might have, percentage of adults who expect tax revenues will increase post legalization: 75

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of American shoppers who have made an apparel purchase in the last six months, according to Nielsen Channel Track: 70

Percentage of these shoppers who made purchases at a physical store: 82

Source: Nielsen Channel Track.

Idle Thought

"Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence of a great fear." -- Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate

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