Percentage of U.S. travelers who admit to retouching their vacation photos to make them more likable on social media -- ahead of all the other countries surveyed, according to a survey by eDreams: 51

Percentage of U.S. travelers (the least cynical) who think that people who share photos on social media during their holiday are having a great time -- compared to just 20% of British travelers: 52

Source: eDreams.

Percentage of U.S. workers who would turn down a job that didn't offer flexible work -- defined as allowing workers management over their own hours and where they work from, at least some of the time -- according to research conducted by IWG: 80

Percentage of people who value being able to choose their work location over an increase in vacation time: 30

Source: IWG.

Percentage of people around the world who work in an "always on" culture, which causes stress and adversely affects both physical and mental well-being, according to the results of a Cigna 360 well-being survey: 64

Percentage of people who say they are stressed -- with 13% saying they are unable to cope with their stress: 84

Of the 46% who received stress management support from their employer, percentage who felt it was adequate: 28

Source: Cigna Corp.

Percentage of Americans who have attempted to get into shape before ever stepping foot into a gym, according to a study commissioned by Planet Fitness: 62

Percentage who said that fear of being judged keeps them away from fitness facilities altogether: 45

Source: Planet Fitness Inc.

Since 2001, percentage growth in the number of grandparents in the United States (from 56 million to 70 million), according to research by AARP: 24

Average amount that grandparents spend annually on their grandchildren, equaling approximately $179 billion per year: $2,562

Percentage of grandparents who provide some sort of financial support to their grandchild(ren): 94

Source: AARP.

Percentage of people who think it's more likely that they'll win the lottery than lose their home in a fire, according to an American Red Cross survey: 40

Odds of dying from exposure to fire or smoke: nearly one in 1,500

Odds of winning the lottery: one in millions

Source: American Red Cross.

Percentage of dog parents who agreed that their dog is their favorite member of the household, according to a survey commissioned by Merrick Pet Care: 69

Percentage who agree that their dog is a part of the family, and that their four-legged family members are enjoying the benefits of this special position in the household: 92

Source: Merrick Pet Care Inc.

Percentage of Americans who cited affording a down payment as the greatest financial barrier to homeownership, according to the latest Country Financial Security Index: 40

Percentage who say that rent is more affordable: 18

Percentage of respondents who reported putting down 10% or less of their mortgage loan on a new home purchase: 54

Percentage who said they put 5% or less of their mortgage loan on their down payment: 36

Source: Country Financial.

Percentage of car owners who said they like to listen to Bruce Springsteen -- the guy who wrote "Cadillac Ranch" and "Pink Cadillac" -- when they are preparing their vehicle for a road trip, according to a survey conducted on behalf of Car Care Council: 24

Ranks of Keith Urban, Bruno Mars, Jimmy Buffet and Lady Gaga on the list of musicians car owners listen to most while preparing for a road trip: 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Car Care Council.

Percentage of global travelers who say they don't get enough information about delayed and canceled flights, according to aviation and data analytics experts at Cirium: 36

Percentage who have had to pay more to make alternative travel plans following a delayed flight: 36

In 2018, approximate number of flights that were delayed by over 30 minutes or canceled globally, affecting more than 470 million passenger journeys around the world: 3.9 million

Number of flights this equals per day: 10,700

Amount per year that flight delays and cancellations cost airlines globally in lost revenue, in addition to costs borne by their passengers: $30 billion

Source: Cirium.

Idle Thought

"He who sees a need and waits to be asked for help is as unkind as if he had refused it." -- Dante Alighieri

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

Percentage of Americans who have lied to their partners about their finances, specifically their spending habits and amount of debt, according to a GoBankingRates survey: 22

Percentage of women who have lied to their partner about their spending habits, compared to men: 13 vs. 6

Source: GoBankingRates.com.

Percentage of high school juniors who believe a person should have a concrete career path in mind before they finish high school, according to a survey conducted for Junior Achievement USA and The Hartford: 44

Percentage of college sophomores who agree: 16

Source: Junior Achievement.

Percentage of IT decision-makers who said their trouble in bringing on technology talent is compensation, according to a Robert Half survey: 24

Percentage who say the hiring process is extremely slow and, therefore, they lose good candidates while deciding: 22

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Percentage of workers who cite positive word associations with "retirement," compared with only 37 percent who cite negative words, according to the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies: 86

Despite the magnitude of preparations and challenges involved -- ranks of "freedom," "enjoyment" and "stress-free" on the list of words that workers most often associate with retirement: 1, 2, 3

Source: Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.

Percentage of U.S. drivers who take photos or videos when they see an emergency vehicle on the side of the road responding to a fire, a crash or simply making a routine traffic stop, according to a survey by the National Safety Council and the Emergency Responder Safety Institute: 71

Percentage who post to social media while behind the wheel: 60

Percentage who send an email about the situation while behind the wheel: 66

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of Americans who say they are overwhelmed every year when they do their taxes, according to a survey by Toluna on behalf of TaxSlayer: 50

Percentage who say tax season is stressful: 61

Source: TaxSlayer LLC.

Percentage of people who stated that receiving a handwritten note or greeting card made them feel loved and appreciated, according to a survey by Pilot Corporation of America: 90

Percentage who reported noticeably lower stress levels when engaging in writing-related activities such as journaling, letter-writing and list-making: 43

Source: Pilot Corporation of America.

Percentage of couples who invited pets to be part of their wedding party, according to findings from The Knot: 7

Percentage of brides who are opting to have men and women in their bridal party: 28

Percentage of grooms who are doing the same: 11

Source: The Knot.

Percentage of knowledge workers (defined as people whose main capital is knowledge, who think for a living and have access to technology for their day-to-day jobs) who are comfortable with reskilling in order to work alongside the digital workforce, according to a report from Blue Prism: 83

Percentage who say they're ready to take on a new job role: 78

Percentage of market and business decision-makers who believe that employees are afraid of losing their jobs to automation: 70

Percentage of knowledge workers who harbor fears about job loss to robotic process automation: 37

Source: Blue Prism.

Idle Thought

"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it." -- Frederic Bastiat

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

Percentage of Americans who reported having at least one online subscription, according to a report from CompareCards.com: 76

Percentage who pay for services like Netflix and Hulu: 58

Percentage who said they paid for online subscription shopping like Amazon Prime: 41

Percentage who subscribe to a music service like Spotify or Pandora: 34

Source: CompareCards.

Number of hot dogs that MLB fans are expected to consume this season, according to a survey by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council: 18.3 million

Estimated number of sausages that will be eaten: 4 million

Source: National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

Percentage of U.S. parents (6 million) who say they have a child under 18 with a credit card, according to a CreditCards.com report released today: 8

Among parents who have credit cards, percentage who said their kids have used the parents’ card without permission: 21

Percentage who said it has happened multiple times: 13

Source: CreditCards.com.

Ranks of shared interests, a satisfying sexual relationship and sharing household chores as the most important elements to a successful marriage, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press: 1, 2, 3

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

Percentage of resumes HR managers receive that are from candidates who don't meet the job requirements, according to research from Robert Half: 42

Percentage of professionals who admitted they would submit for a role when they don't match all the qualifications: 78

Percentage of HR managers who reported their company is open to hiring an employee whose skills can be developed through training: 84

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Percentage of workers who say it's common for employees to use company time for personal income tax preparation (e.g., printing paperwork, filling out forms, talking to their accountant), according to an Accountemps survey: 43

Percentage who say employees routinely use office resources (e.g., copier, printer, scanner, mailroom) to complete tax paperwork: 50

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of Americans who will make Easter baskets this year, according to a National Confectioners Association survey: 66

Percentage of Americans who say chocolate eggs and bunnies continue to be their favorite Easter candy, while jelly beans and candy-coated eggs are not far behind: 55

Average number of times people in the United States enjoy chocolate and candy, adding just 40 calories and about one teaspoon of added sugar per day: 2 to 3 times per week

Source: National Confectioners Association.

Percentage of buyers' agents who say that staging makes it easier for buyers to visualize a property as their future home, according to a National Association of Realtors' survey: 83

Percentage of sellers' agents who said that staging a home decreases the amount of time a home spends on the market: 53

Percentage who say staging a home increases its dollar value by 1% to 5%: 25

Source: National Association of Realtors.

Percentage of the people who acknowledged that they are more likely to buy optical glasses that are trendy and offer an extra feature, technological or practical, than to buy them just for health purposes, according to a survey conducted by GlassesUSA.com: 76

Source: GlassesUSA.com.

Idle thought

“Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed; everything else is public relations.” -- Anonymous

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