Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of Americans who say men have it easier these days, according to Pew Research: 35

Percentage who say things are easier for women: 9

Percentage who say there is no difference: 56

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

Average amount of time per week that professionals admit to being bored in the office, according to a survey from OfficeTeam: 10.5 hours

Number of eight-hour workdays this represents per year: 68.25

Estimated amount of time per week that senior managers estimate their staff is likely disinterested: 6

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of Americans who say they have worked in a convenience store, according to a national survey conducted by the National Association of Convenience Stores: 19

Percentage of those who worked in a convenience store who agree the job experience helped them develop a foundation for their careers: 84

Source: National Association of Convenience Stores.

Percentage of Americans ages 18 to 36 who say they discuss how much money they make with their immediate family, according to a study from TheCashlorette.com: 63

Percentage who discuss the matter with a friend: 48

Percentage who talk to their co-workers about it: 30

Source: Bankrate.com.

Average amount per month that Americans with annual household incomes under $30,000 and a checking account pay in bank or credit union fees, according to a survey commissioned by Bankrate.com and Money: $31

Amount typically paid by other income brackets (these figures include routine service charges, ATM fees and overdraft fees): $9

Percentage of U.S. adults with household income under $30,000 per year who even have a checking account (compared with 83 percent of all others): 59

Percentage of account holders who overdraft 10 or more times per year: 9

Percentage of banks' total non-sufficient funds fees these account holders shoulder, according to a study by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: 79

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of Americans who admit to making a money mistake, according to a survey by Finder.com: 78

Number of Americans this represents: 192 million

Ranks of blowing too much on fun (vacations, dining out, shopping), dropping out of college and making a bad investment (such as property or stocks) on the list of the top money mistakes: 1, 2, 3

Source: finder.com.

Rank of car crashes on the list of killers of teens in the U.S., according to research by the National Safety Council: 1

Percentage of all teens who will be involved in a car crash before graduating from high school: 50

Source: National Safety Council.

Americans' average debt amount in 2017, according to a study by GOBankingRates: $140,113

Percentage of respondents who have mortgage debt -- the most common debt category: 65

Percentage who have medical debt -- the least common debt category: 21

Source: GoBankingRates.com.

Percentage of Americans who believe hot dogs are an essential part of tailgating at a sporting event, according to a survey commissioned by RaceTrac: 75

Percentage of Americans who believe hot dogs are an underrated tailgating food: 53

Ranks of mustard, ketchup, onions, relish, chili, cheese and sauerkraut on the list of condiments hot dog eaters like to pile on their dogs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Source: RaceTrac.

Percentage of Americans who believe it's important to wash their hands after using a public restroom, according to the 2017 Healthy Hand Washing Survey, conducted by the Bradley Corp.: 97

Percentage who always wash their hands after using a public restroom: 66

Percentage who say they usually do: 25

Source: Bradley Corp.

Idle Thought

"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." -- H.G. Wells, writer

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

Percentage of CFOs who said employees should arrive on time so others can rely on them during set hours, according to research from Accountemps: 43

Percentage who said it's OK if they are occasionally late as long as it's not a pattern and people don't perceive them as slacking off: 47

Percentage who said that it doesn't matter as long as they get their work done on time: 10

Percentage of workers who said their productivity has suffered because a colleague arrived late: 43

Source: Accountemps.

Ranks of action/superhero, a "Batman" character, princess, animal and Spider-Man on the list of favored children's costumes this year, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation: 1, 2 (tie), 4, 5

Ranks of witch, a "Batman" character, animal, pirate and a Marvel superhero on the list of costumes most favored by adults: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: NRF.

Percentage of Americans who make impulsive purchases, either online or in-store, according to a survey by Finder.com: 96

When it comes to online, percentage of Americans who admit to spending impulsively: 87

Estimated annual impulse spending: $17.78 billion

Source: Finder.com

Percentage of women who prefer less home square footage and larger yards, according to a survey done on behalf of Taylor Morrison: 62

Percentage of men who have the same preference: 51

When asked what home shoppers would spend an extra $10,000 to $15,000 on in their new homes, rank of outdoor living items, beating out features such as upgraded cabinets and kitchen islands: 1

Source: Taylor Morrison.

Percentage of employed Americans who would still go to work even if they were feeling ill with flu-like symptoms, according to a survey on behalf of CVS Pharmacy: 65

Percentage of Americans who protect themselves from catching the flu by getting the flu vaccine: 52

Percentage of Americans who regularly use hand sanitizer to stop the spreading of germs: 41

Percentage who also report protecting themselves from the flu by drinking more water: 55

Source: CVS Pharmacy.

When considering which food items to add to the shopping cart, ranks of claims of being made with fruits and vegetables (62 percent), high in fiber (57 percent), natural flavors (55 percent), low sodium (52 percent) and low sugar/sugar-free (51 percent) that are most likely to sway parents to purchase a product, according to a Nielsen survey: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Nielsen Insights.

Value of the global wellness industry, according to research by the Global Wellness Institute: $3.7 trillion

Value of the key sectors of beauty and anti-aging: $999 billion

Value of healthy eating, nutrition and weight loss: $648 billion

Value of wellness tourism: $563 billion

Source: Global Wellness Institute.

In industries dominated by women or older adults, percentage by which the rate of substance abuse is lower, according to analysis from the National Safety Council, NORC at the University of Chicago and Shatterproof: 66

Number of times higher than average that health care costs are for employees who misuse or abuse prescription drugs: 3

Annual cost to taxpayers of addictions, also known as substance use disorders: $440 billion

Source: National Safety Council.

Expected cost to consumers in extra interest charges in 2017 due to the Federal Reserve's flurry of recent rate hikes, according to WalletHub: $6 billion

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of IT professionals who listed cybersecurity a top priority, according to an industry survey conducted at the New York Tech Summit: 49

Percentage of respondents who indicated they spend up to half of their organization's budget on security-related products and services: 26

Source: NY Tech Summit.

Idle Thought

"There is a fountain of youth: It is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will have truly defeated age." -- Sophia Loren, actor

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

Percentage of small business owners who say it was a challenge to access funding for their ventures, according to a survey by Reliant Funding: 28

Percentage who said they had been denied a loan from their bank: 30

Percentage of respondents who stated that the biggest challenge facing their small business is finding skilled workers: 35

Source: Reliant Funding.

Projected amount that Americans will spend on costumes, candy and pumpkins for Halloween this year, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation: $9.1 billion

Estimated number of Americans who plan to partake in Halloween festivities, up from 171 million in 2016: 179 million

Projected amount that the average consumer will spend: $86.13

Source: NRF.

Percentage of workers who say they've seen a colleague leave the restroom without washing his or her hands, according to a survey by Bradley Corp.: 61

Percentage of Americans who ramp up their hand-washing practices during flu season: 70

Source: Bradley Corp.

Percentage of Americans who don't realize credit scores affect cellphone bills, according to a survey by WalletHub: 70

Percentage who say credit reports are easier to understand than cellphone agreements: 76

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of Americans who plan to start holiday shopping before Nov. 1, according to a survey by RetailMeNot Inc.: 45

Percentage of retailers will capitalize on this earlier start by beginning their holiday marketing efforts earlier this year: 80

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of workers who say they "hate" or "tolerate" their job, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 28

Of those who tolerate or hate their job, ranks of "need to pay the bills," "its proximity to home," "needing the insurance" and "it pays well" on the list of the top reasons for staying in a current position: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Ranks of the fashion, technology, sports and entertainment industries on the list of those industries where Americans believe older customers are not as well served as other customers: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: AARP.

Percentage of American adults who would vacation alone (with 28 percent having already done so, and 19 percent being open to it someday): 47

Percentage of respondents who said they would not leave the U.S. even if all expenses were paid: 7

Source: Cashlorette.com.

Average number of resumes that advertising and marketing executives say they receive from professionals in the creative field for an open position, according to research by The Creative Group: 32

Average number of candidates they interview before filling a role: 7

Average number of weeks it takes to fill an open staff-level position: 5

Source: The Creative Group.

Percentage of companies that have a college internship program, according to a survey by Korn Ferry: 63

Percentage of these organizations who say the program helps identify the best students to hire upon graduation: 88

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Idle Thought

"Read. Read anything. Read the things they say are good for you, and the things they claim are junk. You'll find what you need to find. Just read." -- Neil Gaiman, author

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