Rank of "failing to make eye contact" as the biggest body language mistake job seekers make during an interview, according to a CareerBuilder survey of employers: 1

Rank of "failing to smile": 2

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Ranks of food and groceries, clothing, household items, takeout and shoes on the list of the top impulse purchases, according to a survey conducted for Slickdeals: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage of Americans who buy the candy at the checkout register: 25

Percentage who impulsively buy food after passing a nearby restaurant: 32

Percentage of Americans who buy a pair of shoes when they see them in the store: 25

Source: Slickdeals.

Number of Americans who plan to take family vacations this year, according to research from AAA Travel: 88 million

Percentage of millennials who are planning a family getaway, more than members of Generation X (39 percent) or baby boomers (32 percent): 44

Of families who will take a trip this year, percentage who plan to visit an international destination -- a 9 percentage point increase from just two years ago: 35

Ranks of Cancun, Mexico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Rome; and Dublin, Ireland, on the list of the most likely international destinations for families: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: AAA.

Percentage of U.S. homeowners who plan a home improvement project to save money, according to a Coinstar survey: 65

Percentage of DIYers who will create a budget and use cash on hand to pay for projects: 70

Percentage who say they've left a project incomplete because they ran out of money: 30

Source: Coinstar.

Percentage of Americans who report using their own vehicle to get around daily, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos on transportation habits: 75

Percentage of Americans who own at least one vehicle who say that there is nothing that would make them consider not owning a car/owning fewer cars: 39

Percentage who say they opt to walk every day to get places: 10

Percentage who get around using public transportation: 5

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of obese Americans who say they suffer from foot pain and at times experience multiple foot and ankle conditions, according to a survey by the American Podiatric Medical Association: 81

Percentage of overweight Americans who say they experience foot problems: 74

Of those who experienced foot pain all or most of the time, percentage who said they would walk more if their feet didn't hurt: 79

Percentage who said they would exercise more: 72

Source: American Podiatric Medical Association.

Percentage of U.S. adults who strongly believe their spouse or partner is honest with them about money, according to a report from CreditCards.com: 52

Percentage who wholeheartedly believe they themselves are honest with their significant other when it comes to finances: 61

Percentage of all couples who say they never discuss their combined finance: 11

Source: CreditCards.com.

Ranks of "overall health and well-being" and "weight management" on the list of the top reasons Americans include more plant-based proteins in their diet, according to a Nielsen survey: 1, 2

Percentage of consumers who say that a balanced diet is key to healthy eating: 59

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of Americans who are placing a higher priority on beefing up their emergency savings this year, according to a Bankrate.com report: 53

Percentage who are more motivated to pay down debt: 40

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of CFOs who are at least somewhat active on social media, according to a Robert Half Management Resources: 77

Ranks of Facebook and LinkedIn on the list of the most popular social networks for financial executives: 1, 2

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Idle Thought

"Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something." -- Plato

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

Percentage of working Americans who are failing to save any of their income, according to a study from Bankrate.com: 20

Percentage who cite expenses as their biggest savings obstacle: 39

Percentage who said their job doesn't pay enough to allow them to save: 16

Percentage who said they "haven't gotten around to it": 16

Percentage who cited debt: 13

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of parents who believe that the more curious children are the more likely they are to be successful as adults, according to a survey for Baby Einstein: 94

Ranks of being creative, learning new things faster and more easily, and thinking critically on the list of the top areas that curious kids excel in over their less curious peers: 1, 2, 3

Source: Baby Einstein.

Percentage of workers who admitted they come in late for work at least once a month -- down from 29 percent last year -- according to a CareerBuilder survey: 25

Percentage who said it was a weekly occurrence: 12

Ranks of traffic, oversleeping, bad weather and too tired to get out of bed on the list of the usual excuses why employees are late to work: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of employers who have fired someone for being late: 43

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

When comparing pay between genders overall in the U.S., percentage more that men are paid than women -- in line with other research on the subject, according to the Korn Ferry Gender Pay Index research: 17.6

When comparing the salaries of men and women at the same job level, percentage difference in pay: 7

When comparing the same level within the same company, percentage difference in pay: 2.6

When comparing same level, same company, same function -- percentage difference in pay: 0.9

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

When asked to pick a late-night celebrity to work on their car, percentage of vehicle owners who selected Jimmy Kimmel, according to a survey by the non-profit Car Care Council: 28

Ranks of Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah on the list of: 2, 3, 4

Source: Car Care Council.

Percentage of workers who have admitted to crying at work, according to a survey from staffing firm Accountemps: 45

Percentage of workers who say crying has no negative effect -- it shows you are human: 31

Percentage who said crying is never acceptable at work -- people will perceive you as weak or immature: 32

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of Americans who plan to do some spring cleaning, spending an average of four days on the process, according to a poll by Sparefoot: 78

Percentage who will shop for new spring clothing, according to a poll by the International Council of Shopping Centers: 57

Source: Goodwill.

Percentage of Americans who report unplugging from work completely while taking time off, according to the Alamo family vacation survey: 37

Percentage who say they put pressure on themselves to work during family vacations: 59

Percentage who say they do so to avoid coming back to a mountain of work: 57

Source: Alamo Rent A Car.

Percentage of Americans who assert that they definitely need to have a vehicle to get to work, according to findings from an Ipsos poll: 78

Percentage of Americans who agree with the sentiment that their car reflects who they are and that it is a reflection of their personality or self: 81

Percentage who consider themselves as someone who is passionate about cars, trucks, motorcycles or other vehicles: 59

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of millennials who are considering rewarding themselves after completing their tax return, 4 percentage points higher than the general population, according to a survey by eBay: 71

Ranks of new electronics, a new wardrobe and a night out at a restaurant or bar on the list of things Americans plan to reward themselves with: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of Americans who plan to spend their entire refund on a tech purchase: 20

Percentage of millennials who are planning to spend their entire refund on a new car: 37

Source: eBay.

Idle Thought

"It's best to give while your hand is still warm." -- Philip Roth, novelist

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

Projected Easter spending this year, almost on par with a record $18.4 billion in 2017, but still the second-highest level on record, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation: 18.2 billion

Average spent per person: $152

Amount consumers will spend on food (purchased by 87 percent of shoppers): $5.7 billion

Amount spent on candy: $2.6 billion

Amount on flowers: $1.3 billion

Source: NRF.

Amount that Wall Street banks handed out in bonuses to their New York City-based employees for 2017 performance, up 17 percent over 2016, according to figures from the New York State Comptroller: $31.4 billion

Number of times larger the total bonus pool for 176,900 Wall Street employees was than the combined annual earnings of all 884,000 U.S. full-time minimum-wage workers, according to the Institute for Policy Studies: 2.5

Source: Institute for Policy Studies.

Amount that U.S. consumers racked up in new credit card debt during 2017, pushing existing outstanding balances past $1 trillion for the first time ever, according to WalletHub's Credit Card Debt study, based on Federal Reserve data: $92.2 billion

Despite Federal Reserve data, percentage of Americans who think they'll have less debt at the end of the year: 92

Percentage who think travel is worth getting into debt for: 35

Percentage who don't remember why they got into it: 13

Source: WalletHub.

Estimated percentage of Americans who report skipping a recommended medical test or treatment because of cost, according to a poll from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago and the West Health Institute: 40

Percentage who say they didn't go to a doctor when they were sick or injured in the last year because of cost: 44

Source: NORC at the University of Chicago.

Percentage of senior managers who said it's common for an applicant with a promising resume to not live up to expectations when interviewed, according to a survey by Robert Half: 64

On average, number of resumes managers review per job opening: 40

Number or minutes they spend looking at each one: 12

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of singles who have gone out on an official first date, according to a survey by Match.com: 44

Percentage of singles who say being asked out two to three days in advance is appropriate first date behavior: 54

Percentage who approve of being asked out the day of: 27

Source: Match.com.

Percentage of Americans who are most likely to describe their idea of the "perfect" body as being athletic, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of RiverMend Health: 79

Percentage of Americans who would be willing to give up something they love if it meant they could achieve their perfect body overnight: 75

Percentage who would say goodbye to deep-fried foods: 45

Percentage who would give up candy/sweets: 43

Percentage who would forgo alcohol: 41

Percentage who would give up sex: 10

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of bosses and supervisors surveyed who support their employees when they take time out to enjoy themselves while traveling for business, according to a survey by National Car Rental: 92

Percentage of business travelers who report successfully managing their personal lives while on business travel: 86

Percentage who consider themselves "business travel pros": 83

Percentage who say they know how to make the most out of life while traveling for business: 84

Source: National Car Rental.

Percentage of Americans who said regret was the leading feeling after an impulsive shopping session, according to a survey by finder.com:: 44

Percentage who felt indifference: 32

Percentage who felt as though they didn't have enough funds for something they actually needed (such as rent, school fees, loan repayments): 19

Percentage who said it caused fighting with a spouse or family members: 10

Source: finder.com.

Percentage of Americans who had already filed income tax returns as early as Feb. 26, and even high among millennials (59 percent), according to eBay's Tax Refund Retail Study: 57

Percentage of respondents who expressed excitement about filing taxes because they are getting money back: 48

Percentage who plan to spend at least part of their tax refund this year, while 23 percent plan to save it: 78

Source: eBay.

Idle Thought

"If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy." -- James Madison, fourth U.S. president

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