Percentage of workers who do not think everyone has an equal shot of living the American Dream, according to a survey by CareerBuilder: 60

When asked what are the top factors that are keeping people from achieving the American Dream, ranks of the cost of education, cycles of poverty, wage gaps, inequality (among women, minorities, etc.) and access to education: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of millennial-owned businesses that have a mobile app, compared to 42 percent of small businesses owned by Generation X and 13 percent owned by baby boomers, according to a survey by Clutch: 55

Percentage of small businesses that build mobile apps to attract new customers: 28

Percentage that do it to gain a competitive advantage: 18

Percentage that do it to increase sales: 17

Source: Clutch.

Estimated corporate losses due to unproductive workers during March Madness, according to WalletHub: $4 billion

Percentage of HR professionals who say they don't have policies addressing office pools: 81

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of American single women who think their dates earn "bonus points" if they offer to pay for the date, according to a survey by personalized dating service It's Just Lunch: 58

Percentage who insist on picking up the bill themselves: 1

Percentage who intend to pay for the next date: 8

Source: It's Just Lunch/American Way.

In the United States, odds of dying from any unintentional cause -- up from 1 in 30 in 2004, according to National Safety Council: 1 in 25

Every 10 minutes, number of people who are killed: 3

Number who are seriously injured: 847

Source: National Safety Council.

Of the 65 percent of taxpayers expecting a refund, percentage who say they will put it into savings, according to survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights and Analytics: 49

Percentage who will pay down debt: 35

Percentage who will spend this year's refunds on everyday expenses: 22

Percentage who will use the money for a vacation: 12

Source: NRF.

Percentage of CFOs who said it was challenging for their company to find skilled candidates for professional-level positions today, according to a Robert Half survey: 65

To combat this problem, percentage of executives who are now considering entry-level applicants for roles that historically weren't open to them: 51

Source: Robert Half.

On average, percentage of their salary that adults direct toward their retirement savings, according to a survey conducted by McLaughlin and Associates on behalf of PenFed: 7.6

When asked what they would do if given $5,000, percentage of respondents said they would put it toward retirement: 23

Percentage who would put the money in savings: 63

Source: McLaughlin and Associates.

Percentage of millennials (ages 22 to 35) who would rather work in an active workspace -- one which supports movement, collaboration and social interactions -- than in a traditional "cube," according to a study conducted by VARIDESK: 75

Of the respondents who work in an active workspace, percentage who are satisfied with the space their employer provides: 87

Percentage of respondents without an active workspace who are satisfied with their space: 57

Of those who still work from a traditional cubicle, percentage who said they would be less likely to look for a new job if their employer invested in an active workspace: 57

Source: VARIDESK.

Percentage of American women who say Social Security will be their primary source of retirement income, according to a survey from the Nationwide Retirement Institute of adults ages 50 or older who are retired or plan to retire in the next 10 years: 62

Percentage of women who say life is, or is expected to be, better in retirement than before retirement (down from 31 percent last year): 25

Percentage who say that life in retirement is, or is expected to be, worse: 26

Source: Nationwide.

Idle Thought

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." -- Charles Darwin

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

Percentage of full-time U.S. employees who say that flexible hours are the most important perk they receive, according to a survey by Clutch: 41

Percentage who say it's the perk that matters most to their job satisfaction: 54

Ranks of "flexible hours," "professional development," "fitness/health perks," "food/snacks" and "working from home" on the list of the most common employee perks: 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Clutch.

Percentage of smartphone users who agree with the statement "I love my phone," according to a survey conducted in the United States, Brazil, France and India by Ipsos on behalf of Motorola: 54

Percentage of Gen Zers and millennials who profess to love their phones, compared to 49 percent of Gen Xers and 37 percent of baby boomers: 63

When facing the prospect of separation from one's device, percentage of users who agree that "it would be very difficult emotionally to give up my smartphone": 43

Percentage who said that if their device were a person in their life, it would most resemble a "best friend": 37

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of "thrifters" (people who shop secondhand 12 times or more per year) who stated they've found their match and are in a marriage or committed relationship, according to Swap.com: 69

Percentage who have dated fewer than five partners before finding their match: 48

Percentage who dated a year or less before committing: 57

Percentage of all Americans who say the same: 26

Source: Swap.com.

Percentage of professionals who would prefer recognition over extra compensation, according to a Korn Ferry survey: 46

Percentage who said they would prefer a raise with no promotion: 54

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Amount Citigroup is preparing to issue in refunds after the bank discovered it had overcharged nearly 2 million credit card accounts on their annual interest rates, according to research by CreditCards.com: $330 million

Number of accounts affected: 1.75 million

Average refund amount: $190

Source: Bankrate.com.

Estimated number of Irish-Americans and fellow partiers worldwide who will raise pints of Guinness and forkfuls of corned beef and cabbage in the name of Ireland's primary patron saint, according to WalletHub: 33 million

Percentage of Americans who plan to celebrate St. Patrick's Day: 56

Percentage of celebrators who plan to wear the green: 83

Number of pints of Guinness that will be consumed worldwide: 13 million

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of parents who claim they wouldn't recognize all of their children's teachers if they saw them in the grocery store, according to findings from a ClassDojo's study: 19

Percentage of respondents who feel their child performs better in school when they're more involved in their child's day-to-day school life: 95

Percentage of parents who feel they perform better at work when their children are excelling in school: 52

Percentage who see an improvement in their relationships with family and friends: 49

Percentage who feel closer to their child: 53

Source: Wyzant.

Percentage of advertising and marketing executives who said the number of counteroffers extended by their company to current employees weighing another job offer has increased in the last six months, according to a survey by the Creative Group: 14

Percentage of executives who said the main reason to issue a counteroffer is to avoid losing an employee with hard-to-find skills: 37

Source: The Creative Group.

Rank of Christmas on the list of the largest gift card-giving occasions, accounting for 33 percent of gift card spending on others, according to Packaged Facts: 1

Percentage of gift card spending on others that falls outside of holidays, with giving tied to "doing something nice," "rewarding someone" and "to say thank you": 26

Source: Packaged Facts.

Estimated number of consumers whose personal information was exposed in the massive 2017 Equifax data breach, according to a CreditCards.com report: 145 million-plus

Percentage of those surveyed who said that having their personal data stolen would be worse than having their cellphone stolen: 74

Source: CreditCards.com.

Idle Thought

"To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness." -- Confucius

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

Percentage of employers who know within the first five minutes of an interview if a candidate is a good or bad fit for a position, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 49

Percentage who make up their mind within a half-hour or longer: 8

Percentage of employers who say catching a candidate lying about something is an instant deal-breaker: 71

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Average amount of money Americans spend on impulse buying every month, according to a survey conducted by OnePoll for Slickdeals: $450

Amount that adds up to annually (or $324,000 over the course of their lifetime): $5,400

Estimated number of these purchases that are made every year: 156

Percentage of all purchases that are attributed to impulsive buying: 20

Source: Slickdeals.

Percentage of business travelers who feel they deserve to take a break from work and make time for themselves during business trips, according to a survey by National Car Rental: 80

Percentage of business travelers who think telling their bosses about fun and/or personal activities while traveling is a "no-go": 38

Percentage who avoid telling co-workers: 40

Percentage of business travelers who even go so far as to avoid posting on social media about fun times had while on the road: 25

Source: National Car Rental.

Percentage of people who find it inappropriate to call a female co-worker "girl" or "babe" or "sweetie," according to a poll on workplace behavior from NPR and Ipsos: 83

Percentage who have seen it happen at work: 58

Percentage of people who think sexual jokes or stories are inappropriate: 91

Percentage who have seen it happen: 53

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of adults in the U.S. workforce who have not noticed a decent or sizable increase in their paychecks since tax cuts were passed at the end of 2017, according to a Zogby poll: 67

Percentage who said they were receiving a decent or sizable difference in their paychecks: 27

When it comes to income, percentage of respondents who earn $100,000 to $200,000 annually who reported seeing an increase in pay since the tax cuts: 31

Percentage of those who earn less than $25,000 annually who reported the same: 15

Source: Zogby International.

Average number of minutes per day that professionals spend on sports-related activities in the office during the NCAA college basketball tournament, according to research by OfficeTeam: 25.5

With the March Madness NCAA tournament spread across 15 workdays, number of hours spent per employee: 6

Percentage of employees who wear team jerseys or other fan attire: 48

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of American consumers who are actively trying to incorporate more plant-based foods into their diets, according to a Nielsen survey: 39

Percentage of Americans who follow vegetarian diets: 6

Percentage who are vegans: 3

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of senior-level IT professionals who fully expect their organization will experience a catastrophic data breach in the next three years as a result of unsecured IoT devices, or "internet of things" devices connected to wireless networks, according to the 2018 Global Megatrends in Cybersecurity, sponsored by Raytheon: 82

Percentage who say it could greatly impact shareholder value: 66

Percentage who believe cyber extortion, such as ransomware and data breaches, will increase in frequency and size of payouts: 67

Source: Raytheon Company.

Percentage of Americans who believe exercise programs are the best resource if looking to lose weight, according to a survey from the American Osteopathic Association: 56

Percentage who believe in consulting a nutritionist: 34

Percentage of respondents who rely on diet programs like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig or Whole30: 29

Percentage who believe a physician is best: 28

Source: American Osteopathic Association.

Percentage of Americans who say they do not have more emergency savings than credit card debt, according to a Bankrate.com report: 33

Of these Americans, percentage who say their credit card debt exceeds their emergency fund: 21

Percentage who indicate they have no savings or credit card debt: 12

Source: Bankrate.com.

Idle Thought

"True religion is the life we lead, not the creed we profess." -- Louis Nizer

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