Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of parents with only boys who have money saved for their kids' college, compared to 39 percent of parents with only girls who have money saved, according to T. Rowe Price survey of parents of children of one gender: 50

Percentage of parents of all boys who say they will be able to cover the entire cost of college, compared with only 8 percent of parents of all girls: 17

Percentage of parents of all boys who say that saving for their kids' education is a greater priority than saving for retirement, compared to 50 percent of parents of all girls who said that college savings is a greater priority: 68

Source: T. Rowe Price.

Percentage of Americans who admit to carrying a balance on their credit card from month to month, according to a study by CreditCards.com: 28

Of those who carry credit card debt, percentage who have been carrying a balance for at least two years (29 million people), including 15 million who have been in credit card debt for at least five years: 43

Ranks of "just keeping up with day-to-day expenses," retail purchases, paying medical bills, home repairs, vacation expenses and car repairs on the list of reasons for credit card debt: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: CreditCards.com.

Percentage of professionals who said they would be comfortable reporting to a manager who's younger than they are, according to a survey by OfficeTeam: 82

Percentage who said they wouldn't mind supervising employees older than themselves: 91

Rank of "dissimilar work ethics or values" and "leadership or learning styles" on the list of the biggest challenges with having a younger boss: 1, 2

Rank of "using technology in different ways" on the list of the top struggles when managing someone who's older: 1

Source: OfficeTeam.

Number of tailgating parties per season that the typical tailgater attends or hosts, according to research by FieldAgent: 6 to 10

Number of hours before kickoff the party begins: 3 to 4

Source: Field Agent.

Percentage of males who said they lost their virginity before the age of 13, according to a survey by Adam & Eve: 5

Percentage of females who said the same: 2

Percentage of females (49 percent of the males) who admitted they first had sex between ages 13 and 18: 52

Percentage of females (34 percent of the males) who said they first had intercourse between ages 18 and 23: 38

Percentage of women (12 percent of the men) who were over age 23: 8

Source: Adam & Eve.

When it comes to milestones associated with becoming a financially mature adult, percentage of millennials (defined as being ages 22 to 37) who are most likely to rate "having a steady job/income" as the most significant, according to a study conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Amino and Earnest: 54

Ranks of buying a home, moving out of your parents' home, buying or leasing your own car, and being able to afford having a child on the list of the most significant milestones associated with being a financially mature adult: 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs

Percentage of Americans who believe that having trees in their community makes them happier, according to a 2017 survey conducted by Wakefield Research: 94

Percentage of people who believe having trees in their community inspires them to be active outdoors: 60

Percentage who say that trees in their communities help them relieve stress: 46

Source: Arbor Day Foundation.

Percentage of big-city dwellers (and 80 percent of baby boomers) who want to live in their existing big city when they are 80-plus years old, according to the results of a survey commissioned by Welltower: 70

Rank of access to high-quality health care on the list of factors when considering where they want to live at 80-plus, though most believe big cities need more options for senior care: 1

Source: Welltower Inc.

Percentage of parents who feel they know more about celebrity gossip, daily news stories, and what their Facebook friends are up to than they know about their child's day at school, according to findings from ClassDojo: 48

Percentage of parents who fear they're missing out on the key moments in their child's school day: 58

Percentage of parents who find it nearly impossible to maintain strong relationships with everyone involved in their child's education: 53

Source: Wyzant.

Percentage of people who snack while in bed, according to a survey by Punchbowl: 50

Percentage who say they've eaten a snack to prevent themselves from having a meltdown in public: 25

Percentage who snack while walking the aisles of the grocery store: 27

Source: Punchbowl.

Idle Thought

"The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there." -- Robert M. Pirsig, author and philosopher

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

Ranks of internet connection, mobile device (smartphone, tablet, etc.), driving, pets and cable on the list of things respondents said they'd absolutely not give up, regardless of financial concerns, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Last year, length of time that the typical American worker stayed at their job, according to research by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute: 5.1 years

In 2016, the median tenure for public-sector workers, compared to 4.1 years for private-sector workers: 8.5 years

Source: EBRI.

Percentage of professionals who said it's appropriate to connect with colleagues on Facebook, according to a survey by OfficeTeam: 71

Percentage of senior managers who said it's OK to engage with colleagues on Facebook: 49

Ranks of Twitter (34 percent), Instagram (30 percent) and Snapchat (26 percent) on the list of social media that senior managers approve: 2, 3, 4

Source: OfficeTeam.

Average number of pangs of guilt American parents feel every single week over parenting decisions they feel weren't quite up to standard, according to research by Farm Rich: 23

Percentage of parents who feel pressured to be "perfect" from friends, family and social media: 75

Percentage of millennial parents who regularly compete with other parents on social media: 31

Source: Farm Rich.

Percentage of HR managers who encourage candidates to follow up within two weeks after submitting a resume, according to research from Accountemps: 65

Percentage of hiring managers who would prefer that the candidate follow up by email: 64

Percentage who would rather a phone call: 21

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of Americans who are likely to snack while watching TV, according to a survey by Eagle Foods: 96

Time per week the average American spends watching TV: 11 hours, 23 minutes

Percentage of respondents who said that watching television is the most common time they snack and share with friends: 65

Ranks of popcorn, chips and ice cream on the list of the most shareable snacks: 1, 2, 3

Source: G.H. Cretors Popped Corn.

Percentage of all U.S. adults who are single, according to U.S. Census Bureau data: 45

In a survey of 1,000 unmarried and 1,000 married adults (ages 37 and older) by TD Ameritrade, average amount less that singles make in personal income than their married peers ($52,900 vs. $61,700): $8,800

Percentage of singles who own a home, compared to 90 percent of marrieds: 58

Percentage of singles who cite "having complete control over the household finances" as the biggest benefit to not being married: 29

Source: Ameritrade.

Amount of money that a U.S. employer with 1,000 workers stands to lose each year in absenteeism, diminished productivity and health care costs because of exhausted employees, many of whom have undiagnosed and untreated sleep disorders, according to research by the National Safety Council and the Brigham Health Sleep Matters Initiative: $1.4 million

Possible annual costs of fatigue in an average-sized Fortune 500 company: $80 million

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of parents who say that they read to their children from a paper book at night, according to a study conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the Paper and Packaging Board: 66

Percentage of parents who believe paper is an essential part of children being able to achieve their educational goals: 96

Percentage of parents who admit that they have seen their children have trouble staying focused when doing homework on a computer or tablet: 61

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of Americans who have attended a holiday party or gathering that ran out of entertaining essentials, such as food, cups, plates, utensils, napkins or alcohol, according to a survey by Wakefield Research for BJ's Wholesale Club: 65

Percentage of parties that have failed because they provided nothing for children to do, such as making crafts or watching a holiday movie: 33

Source: Wakefield Research.

Idle Thought

"It seems like the less a statesman amounts to, the more he adores the flag." -- Kin Hubbard (1868-1930), humorist

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

Percentage of Americans who said that debt is the No. 1 cause of financial stress, according to a survey by GOBankingRates.com: 23

Ranks of everyday costs, health care, taxes, housing and education on the list of causes of financial stress: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Rank of California on the list of states with the highest debt balance per person of any state, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York: 1

Source: GoBankingRates.com.

Percentage of HR managers who report having caught a lie on a resume, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 75

Among human resource managers, typically the gatekeepers for the actual hiring managers, percentage who said they spend less than a minute initially looking at a resume: 39

Percentage who said they spend less than 30 seconds: 19

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Average combined amount that parents spend to feed a teenager from age 13 to 19, according to a national survey, conducted by Farm Rich: $51,790

Percentage of parents who say their teen is a "bottomless pit": 33

Source: Farm Rich.

Percentage of U.S. college seniors who want to work abroad, despite perceived global volatility, according to a survey by Cite Research for Graebel Companies Inc.: 81

Ranks of "experiencing new cultures," "personal growth" and "the chance to travel" on the list of reasons for working abroad: 1, 2, 3

Source: Graebel Companies Inc.

Percentage of Americans who agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day: 74

Despite morning being the most hectic part of the day -- between getting kids dressed and fed before starting their own day -- percentage of parents who agree that breakfast is a meal made at home: 54

Percentage more that households with children ages 6 to 12 spend on kids cereal annually than other U.S. households: 45

Source: Nielsen Insights.

Among working Americans, percentage who didn't use all the vacation time available to them, according to the results of a survey by Wakefield Research for Princess Cruises: 31

Source: Princess Cruises.

Percentage of Americans who think they should check their credit reports more than once per year, according to a WalletHub survey: 84

Percentage who actually do so: 41

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of millennial drivers who say they would rather go without social media for a week than face the prospect of losing access to a vehicle for an extended time, according to research released from Enterprise: 50

Percentage who would rather skip one meal a day: 39

Percentage who would rather lose an extra hour of sleep each day: 41

Source: Enterprise.

Percentage of professionals who feel at least somewhat confident in the ability of senior management to grow the business, provide sound financial stewardship and drive innovation, according to a Robert Half Management Resources survey: 81

Percentage who believe their organization's executives support staff members' growth: 78

Percentage who believe they can manage change effectively: 79

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Percentage of Gen Z respondents (ages 13 to 19) who believe they can have an impact on social and environmental issues by using social media, according to the Cone Gen Z CSR study "How to Speak Z": 81

Percentage who use social media to talk about issues they care about: 82

Percentage who are likely to share their positive opinion of companies addressing social and environmental issues: 87

Source: Cone Communications.

Idle Thought

"Too many parents make life hard for their children by trying, too zealously, to make it easy for them." -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, philosopher

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