Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of Americans who would give up a portion of their paycheck for unlimited vacation, with millennials (41%) even more likely to do so, according to a survey released by Allianz Global Assistance: 34

Percentage of Americans who already have unlimited vacation: 12

Of those who would forfeit a portion of their salary for unlimited time off, average percentage they would be willing to give up (with millennials willing to forgo 32%): 26

Source: Allianz Global Assistance.

Percentage of all drivers who admitted to dangerous driving behaviors within the past year, according to a ValuePenguin.com survey: 90

Percentage of car crashes that are caused by human error and dangerous driving behaviors, such as eating, talking on the phone or changing the music: 94

Percentage of respondents who admitted to talking on the phone: 58

Percentage who admitted to reading texts: 27

Percentage who admitted to sending texts: 24

Source: ValuePenguin.com.

Percentage of Americans who have faked excuses to get out of plans, according to a Harris Poll commissioned by Sling TV: 47

Percentage of individuals engaging in this behavior who wanted to relax at home and chose to watch or binge television shows or movies instead: 76

Percentage of excuse makers who said they felt guilty: 42

Source: Sling TV LLC.

When looking to relax and unwind after a long day, percentage of Americans who say chilling out at home and watching/streaming TV is part of their de-stress routine, according to a survey by Tranquility: 62

Ranks of listening to music, enjoying a nice meal, reading, interacting with social media or playing on their phones on the list of de-stressing options: 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Tranquility.

In the past year, percentage of Hotwire survey respondents between the ages of 23 and 38 who have booked spontaneous two- to three-night "quickies" one week or less out from their departure day, with 40% say they have booked the same day: 84

Percentage of "quickie trippers" who felt an emotional benefit from their travel: 95

Percentage who felt reduced stress at work: 43

Percentage who said the travel strengthened their bond with their partner: 41

Source: Hotwire.

Percentage of U.S. adults who haven't spoken to anyone about financial planning, according to a Northwestern Mutual study: 30

While 64% of Americans agree there are likely to be more financial crises in the future, percentage who say their retirement/financial plan has not been created to endure ups and downs in the market: 20

Percentage who report they don't have clarity on how much they can afford to spend now vs. how much they should be saving for later: 48

Source: Northwestern Mutual.

Percentage of kids who feel closer and more connected to their family vs. their friends, according to research from Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews: 49

Source: Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc.

Percentage of working Americans who say little white lies about Wi-Fi are acceptable in order to avoid checking into the office while on vacation, according to a survey released by Allianz Global Assistance: 49

Percentage of workers who are affected by "email creep," referring to when work obligations encroach on personal time: 65

Percentage of all working Americans who make a point not to go on vacation in places where poor cell reception or Wi-Fi access could disrupt their connection to the office: 24

Source: Allianz Global Assistance USA.

Percentage of adults with current K-12 children who who say their children complete homework faster when workspaces are clean, according to research from Clorox: 50

Percentage who say their children are more productive: 83

Percentage who say they are less stressed: 77

Source: Clorox Co.

Percentage of American workers who think that their co-workers could behave better in the workplace and that it is impacting productivity and morale, according to a Kelton Global study on behalf of National Business Furniture: 77

Percentage of respondents who say that consistently being late to work or meetings tops the list of workplace annoyances: 75

Percentage of workers who said playing loud music is unacceptable: 74

Percentage who believe that having smartphone ringers on for calls, notifications or alerts is annoying: 57

Source: National Business Furniture.

Percentage of people across 28 countries who said it is the responsibility of the companies that produce packaged goods to reduce unnecessary packaging, according to an Ipsos survey: 20

Percentage who said dealing with the amount of waste we generate is one of the top three environmental issues facing their country -- after global warming and air pollution: 34

Ranks of Colombia (70%), South Africa (69%), Mexico (63%), Argentina, Brazil and Peru (58%) on the list of countries where most are willing to buy recycled products: 1, 2, 3, 4 (tie)

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Idle Thought

"There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking." -- Theodore Rubin, psychiatrist and writer

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

Percentage of Americans who have argued about the need to declutter and get rid of things, according to a survey by TaskRabbit: 41

Rank of cleaning the bathroom on the list of the most despised of all chores: 1

Percentage of Americans who dislike yard work: 43

Percentage who hate cleaning up after pets: 42

Source: TaskRabbit.

Percentage of American consumers who think back-to-school shopping is more stressful than holiday shopping, according to a CompareCards study: 36

Percentage who said it's more expensive: 32

Percentage who said back-to-school shopping has at least somewhat damaged their relationship with their child: 23

Source: CompareCards.

Percentage of Americans who canceled their cable television subscription within the past two months, according to a nationwide survey about cable-cutting and subscribing to streaming services by the market research team at Colling Media: 20

Percentage of consumers who have subscribed to a streaming service in the past two months (such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video): 39

Percentage who have watched a program, movie or video on a desktop or laptop computer, tablet, smartphone or other mobile device within the past two months: 87

Source: Colling Media.

Percentage of homebuyers with children under the age of 18 years who considered a neighborhood based on the quality of the school districts within that neighborhood, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors: 53

Percentage who selected a neighborhood based on its convenience to schools: 50

Source: National Association of Realtors.

Percentage of teens who receive money from parents or caregivers who say it is in the form of cash, according to research by Junior Achievement USA: 80

Percentage who say they have made purchases in cash: 75

Despite the use of cash, percentage of teens who said they do use mobile or online apps to manage their money -- for budgeting and planning purposes: 48

Source: Junior Achievement.

Percentage of employees who feel like they have a career, while the remaining 50% feel like they have just a job, according to a survey from CareerBuilder: 50

Percentage of employees who are satisfied with the opportunities for career advancement at their current company: 32

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

According to a survey by Zillow, percentage of residents in major U.S. metro areas who believe climate change will affect their homes or communities within their lifetime: 50

According to a Zillow analysis, number of existing homes (worth $451 billion) that will be at risk of a 10-year flood by 2050: 800,000-plus

Ranks of Miami, San Jose and Los Angeles on the list of cities most likely to anticipate climate change impact: 1, 2, 3

Source: Zillow.

Estimated number of college students ages 18 to 24 who die each year in cases where alcohol is involved, according to statistics from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: 1,519

In addition, estimated number of assaults by another student who has been drinking: 696,000

Estimated number of cases of sexual assault or date rape each year: 97,000

Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Percentage of employers who are concerned about holding on to top talent, with 1 in 3 being very concerned, according to research by Robert Half: 81

In a separate survey, percentage of professionals who plan to look for a new job in the next 12 months: 43

When workers who said they intend to leave their jobs were asked what would entice them to stay, percentage who said more money: 43

Percentage who said more time off or better benefits: 20

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of teens who get news at least a few times a week from social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, according to a poll by Common Sense Media and SurveyMonkey: 54

Percentage who get news from YouTube: 50

Of teens who get news of current events from news organizations, percentage who say it helps them better understand what is going on: 65

Percentage of teens who say that "seeing pictures and video showing what happened" gives them the best understanding of major news events: 64

Source: SurveyMonkey.

Idle Thought

"The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure much." -- William Hazlitt, essayist

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

Percentage of parents who say they are uncomfortable discussing saving for college with their kids -- only slightly less than they are discussing school safety (38%), sex (38%) and drugs (37%), according to a T. Rowe Price survey: 36

Percentage of parents who frequently discuss "planning for long-term goals such as college": 20

Source: T. Rowe Price.

Percentage of vacation homeowners who feel guilty about not using their home as much as they intended, according to a survey by Lending Tree: 49

Percentage who use their vacation home once a year or less: 37

Source: Lending Tree.

Projected back-to-school spending, averaging $519 per student in households buying clothing, supplies, computers and electronics for children in grades K-12, according to Deloitte's annual Back-to-School Survey: $27.8 billion.

Ranks of clothing and accessories, school supplies, electronic gadgets, and computers and hardware on the list of areas where money is expected to be spent: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Deloitte.

Percentage of Americans who believe that they need at least $1 million for their "dream retirement," according to a survey of millennials, Gen Xers and baby boomers conducted for the American Advisors Group: 25

Percentage of all respondents who said they would likely "retire right away" if they won the lottery: 46

Source: American Advisors Group.

Estimated number of Americans who have never switched banks, collectively leaving up to $42 billion in interest income on the table each year, according to a survey commissioned by DepositAccounts.com: 96 million

Of the millions of Americans who have never switched banks, percentage who say the reason is because they're satisfied with their current account: 75

Percentage of respondents who don't know how much interest they're earning on their savings account: 47

Source: DepositAccounts.com.

Estimated percentage of parents who say they're stressed about back-to-school time, according to a Coinstar survey: 60

Rank of school-related costs on the list of top back-to-school stressors: 1

Percentage of parents who create a back-to-school budget: 66

Percentage who have planned to make school lunches for their kids to save money: 68

Of those parents who shop without their kids, percentage who stay on budget: 69

Source: Coinstar.

Percentage of travelers who plan to take a solo trip within the next two years, according to an Expedia survey: 60

When given an ultimatum to choose between their cellphone or a travel companion to bring on their next trip, percentage of Americans who said they would choose to travel solo with just their device: 33

Percentage of respondents who agree they prefer the freedom of traveling alone and meeting new people over their desire to have a vacation companion: 66

Source: Expedia.

Percentage of parents who say they were not financially prepared to have a child, according to a study by Policygenius: 42

Percentage of married parents who felt financially ready for a child vs. 38% of single parents: 64

Percentage of men who felt financially ready for a child vs. 53% of women: 63

Source: Policygenius.

Percentage of airline credit card holders who estimate the value of the airline rewards they've earned by using their credit card is more than $600, according to a survey conducted by U.S. News: 46

Percentage who say they earned a value of $1,200 or more: 20

Percentage of respondents who redeemed free domestic flights in the last year by using the points or miles accrued with their airline credit card: 32

Source: U.S.News and World Report.

Percentage of consumers who would spend more on back-to-school shopping if offered the ability to use flexible payment solutions, such as interest-free installments or "buy now, pay later" plans, according to a survey commissioned by Splitit: 35

Percentage who said free shipping would encourage them to spend more money during back-to-school season: 37

Percentage who would feel encouraged to spend more by a 10% discount: 29

Source: Splitit.

Idle Thought

"Kindness is always fashionable." -- Amelia Barr, novelist

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