Percentage of Americans who are uncomfortable talking about their credit card debt with immediate family, ahead of other sensitive topics such as weight, politics and religion, according to a CreditCards.com survey: 30

Percentage who are uncomfortable bringing up their credit card debt with a friend: 48

Percentage who are uncomfortable discussing their love lives with immediate family (spouses, parents, siblings and adult children): 48

Source: CreditCards.com.

Amount consumers spend on wellness, more than half as much as total global health expenditures ($7.3 trillion), according to a report by the Global Wellness Institute: $4.2 trillion

Ranks of the spa industry, wellness tourism and wellness real estate on the list of revenue growth leaders: 1, 2, 3

Source: Global Wellness Institute.

Percentage of Americans, around 59 million people, who have seen all the episodes of the TV show "Game of Thrones" and who plan to watch the new season live, according to an Ipsos survey: 18

Percentage of Americans who have seen all the episodes, but plan to watch the new season once all episodes are released: 6

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of Americans who believe the arts are an important part of the education system, whether in elementary school (90%), middle school (93%) or high school (92%), according to a survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of LifeWTR: 93

Percentage who say it is important for adults to continue to have access to arts education outside of school: 80

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Number of Americans who were 90 or more days behind on their auto loan payments at the end of 2018, according to the New York Federal Reserve: 7 million

Percentage of vehicle owners who say auto loans have caused them to experience stress, according to the results of a Fair consumer survey conducted by The Harris Poll: 42

Percentage of Americans who believe that having auto loan debt is more stressful than finding a new job: 36

Source: Fair.

Percentage of valid claims filed against U.S. airlines for disrupted flights in 2016, 2017 and 2018 that were turned away on wrongful grounds by airlines trying to avoid their obligation to travelers, according to a study by AirHelp: 25

In the United States, number of travelers who were eligible to claim compensation under European law EC 261 following flight delays and cancellations experienced last year, up from 370,000 the previous year: 407,000

During the first three months of 2019, number of passengers who experienced disruptions due to the fault of the airlines, which made them eligible for compensation: 75,000

Source: AirHelp.

Over the past year, percentage of Americans who have read ebooks, according to a study released by Rakuten OverDrive: 43

Percentage of respondents who have listened to audiobooks: 34

Source: Rakuten OverDrive.

Percentage of pet owners planning to move who say their pet will influence their choice of home, according to a survey by Mayflower: 48

Percentage who say their pet will influence their choice of community: 33

Percentage more each month that pet owners who are likely to move in the next five years are willing to pay to get the pet-friendly features they want, such as a fenced-in yard and plenty of indoor space, as compared to their current monthly housing costs: 32

Source: Mayflower.

Percentage of travelers who stated they travel for leisure two or three times a year, according to research commissioned by Criton: 45

Percentage who travel for business: 36

Percentage of respondents who use TripAdvisor as a main source of research and inspiration before booking a hotel: 39

Percentage who rely on online search: 29

Source: Criton.

Percentage of senior managers who think today's workers are getting the recognition they deserve, according to research from OfficeTeam: 43

Percentage who indicated their organization could do a better job of celebrating employees' successes: 58

Source: OfficeTeam.

Idle Thought

"I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying." -- Oscar Wilde

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

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.)