Percentage of all Americans who have felt pressured to spend more money on holiday gifts than what they are comfortable with, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 45

Estimated number of Americans (13 percent of gift-givers) who are willing to boycott gift-giving altogether: 31 million

Percentage of gift-giving Americans who are willing to re-gift presents this holiday season: 22

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Average cost of this year's Thanksgiving Day feast for 10, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation's 33rd annual survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day table: $48.90

Source: American Farm Bureau Federation.

Percentage of Americans with high financial confidence who say the holidays are their favorite time of year, according to an annual holiday survey by SunTrust Banks, Inc.: 64

Source: SunTrust Banks Inc.

Estimated number of fatalities, with another 49,400 serious injuries, in car crashes during the Thanksgiving Day holiday period, according to projections by The National Safety Council: 433

In 2017, rank of Thanksgiving on the list of the deadliest holidays on the roads, trailing only the Fourth of July: 2

On average, percentage of deaths during the Thanksgiving holiday period that involve alcohol-impaired drivers: 33

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of retailers who agree that deals and discounts are more effective at driving purchases during the holidays than other times of the year, according to a survey by RetailMeNot.com: 95

Ranks of lowest price on the gift, free shipping, or the best sale or discount throughout the season on the list of reasons consumers say they will spend more money on a particular retailer's site: 1, 2, 3

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Aggregated amount spent on gift cards over the past year, according to a survey by Packaged Facts: $42 billion

Amount spent on gift cards given to others: $25 billion

Amount spent on gift cards given to themselves: $14 billion

Amount spent on gift cards given to people by their employers: $3 billion

Source: Packaged Facts.

On Black Friday 2017, amount that American shoppers spent online, according to a survey by Genesys: $5 billion

On Cyber Monday, the record-setting amount spent in web-based sales: $6.59 billion

Source: Genesys.

Projected percentage increase in retail of this year's holiday sales over last year's shopping season, according to Deloitte's annual retail holiday sales forecast: 5 to 5.6

Expected total holiday sales between November and January (seasonally adjusted and excluding motor vehicles and gasoline): $1.10 trillion

Source: Deloitte.

Percentage of consumers who will shop online and in department stores this holiday season, according to survey by the National Retail Federation: 55

Percentage who will go to discount stores: 51

Percentage who will go to grocery stores: 44

Percentage who will go to clothing stores: 33

Percentage who will go to electronics stores: 24

Source: NRF.

Average retail credit card APR (annual percentage rate), almost five percentage points higher than the average overall card APR (20.82 percent), according to a new report from CreditCards.com: 25.64

Source: CreditCards.com.

Idle Thought

"The cardinal doctrine of a fanatic's creed is that his enemies are the enemies of God." -- Andrew Dickson White, co-founder and president of Cornell University

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

Percentage of Americans who plan to brave the Black Friday crowds and visit physical stores, according to a survey by Genesys: 37

Percentage who agree that despite the appeal of the price reductions, physical stores are far too busy: 67

Source: Genesys.

Ranks of Netflix, Prime Video (Amazon Prime), Hulu, HBO Now and Starz on the list of the top subscription streaming video services in the U.S. market, according to Parks Associates: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Parks Associates.

Across 24 countries, percentage of adults who have started a business, according to an Ipsos Global Advisor survey: 28

Of countries surveyed, ranks of Mexico, India, Saudi Arabia, China and South Africa on the list of countries where consumers rate highest on entrepreneurial spirit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Ipsos Global Public Affairs.

Annual cost of "lack of sleep" in societal expenses, according to a National Safety Council report: $410 billion

Source: National Safety Council.

Projected amount that 4- to 14-year-olds will earn over the course of 2018 (an average of $8.35 a week), according to a study by RoosterMoney: $434

Amount they'll get in cash gifts this Christmas: $56

Percentage of it they'll save (in stark contrast to the adult saving rate of 6.6 percent): 38

Source: RoosterMoney.

Percentage of consumers who have abandoned a medication prescribed by their physician because it was too expensive, according to a survey by DrFirst: 50

Percentage of consumers who say their physician advised them about medication costs or offered lower-cost therapeutic alternatives: 44

Source: DrFirst.

Percentage of consumers who plan to spend the same or more on gifts this holiday season than they did in 2017, according to a study by The Harris Poll conducted with OpenX: 80

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of U.S. employees who have dealt with issues negatively affecting their mental health, according to a survey commissioned by the American Heart Association: 76

Percentage of all employees who agree that mental health is as important as physical health: 96

Estimated number of U.S. adults who experience mental illness each year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness: 43.8 million

Source: American Heart Association.

Average surcharge assessed by an ATM owner for an out-of-network transaction, according to the Bankrate.com checking account and ATM fee study: $3.02

Fee charged by the account-holder's own bank for using another institution's ATM: $1.66

Total average cost of an out-of-network ATM withdrawal: $4.68

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of store credit cards with 0% introductory APRs that have deferred interest, according to a WalletHub study: 85

Percentage of people who do not know how deferred interest works: 82

Of the people who understand how deferred interest works, percentage who think it is unfair: 79

Source: WalletHub.

Idle Thought

"The same people who can deny others everything are famous for refusing themselves nothing." -- Leigh Hunt, poet and essayist

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

Percentage of all adults who have divulged their pay to a co-worker, according to a Bankrate.com report: 24

Percentage of men who have done so: 29

Percentage of women: 20

Percentage who have never told a live-in romantic partner how much money they make, including 19 percent who are currently married or living with a partner: 31

Percentage of millennials who have shared their salary information with a co-worker, compared to 18 percent of baby boomers: 33

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Average age that Americans expect to reach, according to a survey on behalf of TD Ameritrade: 84

Percentage of Americans who say they want to "travel abroad" as they get older: 57

Percentage who said getting older gives them "an opportunity to reach new goals": 81

Source: TD Ameritrade.

Percentage of employers who use social networking sites to research information that supports a job candidate's qualifications, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 58

Percentage who use it to see whether the candidate has a professional online persona: 50

Ranks of posting provocative or inappropriate photographs, videos or information (40 percent), and posting information about drinking or using drugs (36 percent) on the list of the primary reasons that caused employers not to hire a job candidate: 1, 2

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of Americans who cited pizza as their favorite food, according to a survey from California Pizza Kitchen, conducted by the Harris Poll: 21

Ranks of steak, hamburgers, tacos, pasta and salad on the list of favorite foods: 2, 3, 4 (tie), 6

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of early holiday shoppers who say they do so to spread out their budgets, according to survey by the National Retail Federation: 61

Percentage who wanted to avoid the crowds and stress of last-minute shopping: 47

Source: NRF.

Percentage of Americans who believe car traffic and vehicle pollution are serious problems in their city, according to surveys conducted for Bird by Global Strategy Group: 80

Percentage who acknowledge that their own car use for trips under two miles is causing climate damage: 73

Nationally, percentage who believe there should be more transportation options to reduce traffic and congestion: 85

Source: Bird.

Percentage of parents who say their child suffers from anxiety, according to a survey commissioned by the American Osteopathic Association: 38

Percentage of these parents who said the source of the anxiety is related to comparing oneself to peers: 37

Percentage who cited pressure to perform well academically: 35

Percentage who had concerns related to social media: 29

Source: American Osteopathic Association.

Ranks of developing a strong network, having confidence and showcasing accomplishments to key leaders on the list of the most important advice female professionals have received from other professional women to help them succeed in the workplace, according to a Korn Ferry survey: 1, 2, 3

Source: Korn Ferry International.

Percentage of consumers who plan to start shopping before Black Friday 2018, according to the 2018 Holiday Insights Guide by RetailMeNot: 60

Percentage who will wait to start their holiday shopping on Black Friday or later: 27

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of women worldwide who want the media to portray a more diverse range of physical appearance, age, race, shape and size in advertising and marketing, according to The Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Report: 70

Percentage of women in the United States who feel "body confident": 24

Source: DreamWalk Fashion Show.

Idle Thought

"When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set." -- Lin Yutang, writer

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