Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of Americans who view longer life as a plus for the economy, according to a poll from the Longevity Project and Morning Consult, developed in collaboration with the Stanford Center on Longevity: 53

Percentage who agree that older workers are good mentors: 84

Percentage who agree that they are more mature in their dealings with co-workers and display stronger organizational citizenship: 77

Percentage who also believe that work quality improves with age: 66

Source: Longevity Project.

Among all college graduates in the U.S. who would change their major if they had the ability to go back, percentage who said the primary reason was "I want to pursue my passion," according to a report from BestColleges: 26

Percentage who said, "I want better/more job opportunities": 25

Percentage who said, "I want better compensation or benefits": 14

Percentage of all respondents who said their education had no value at all: 4

Source: BestColleges.

Rank of distraction and noise (48%) and a lack of privacy (48%) on the list of challenges in coworking environments, according to a survey from Clutch: 1 (tied)

Ranks of limited space and insufficient equipment: 3, 4

Source: Clutch.

Percentage of U.S. mortgage holders who say the size of their mortgage has a negative impact on their ability to save money for the future, according to a Bankrate.com survey: 77

Percentage of homeowners who say the equity in their home is higher than their retirement savings accounts (including 401(k) or IRA): 39

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of Americans in the workforce who said they consciously take steps to avoid the germs of sick co-workers or colleagues, according to the Bradley Corp. Healthy Hand-Washing Survey: 89

Percentage who correctly believe that hand-washing is more effective in removing germs than hand sanitizer -- a fact supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 64

Ranks of restaurants, hospitals and clinics, and doctor's or dentist's offices on the list of places where there was the most concern about somebody not washing their hands: 1, 2, 3

Source: Bradley Corp.

Estimated number of Americans who are saving more money during coronavirus, rather than spending more, according to a survey by WalletHub: 158 million

Number of Americans who have canceled or plan to cancel travel plans due to the coronavirus: 94 million

Source: WalletHub.

Rank of outdoor remodels (47%) on the list of planned renovations in 2020 -- including plans for decks (45%), greenhouses/gardens (35%) and patios (34%), according to research from SunTrust Banks Inc.: 1

Ranks of bathroom improvements (42%) and kitchen upgrades (38%) on the list: 2, 3

Source: SunTrust Banks Inc.

Percentage of Americans who are embracing the notion of solo travel, compared to an average of 9% of Europeans, according to research by eDreams: 24

Of U.S. travelers who prefer to go it alone, percentage who believe that 25 to 34 is the best age range to go solo, compared to just 6% of those 55 and older: 27

Source: eDreams.

Percentage of Americans (including 46% of Gen Z and 44% of millennials) who make fitness-related purchases, according to a survey from CompareCards: 33

Average monthly cost of these purchases: $124.40

Source: CompareCards.

Total professional monitoring revenue for the U.S. residential security industry in 2020, according to Parks Associates forecasts: $15.74 billion

Of that, amount accounted for by smart home services: $1.2 billion

Percentage of smart smoke/CO detector owners who indicate interest in having their smoke detector connected to a professional monitoring service: 70

Source: Parks Associates.

Idle Thought

"A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking." -- Will Rogers

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

Percentage of Americans who have taken an overnight since March, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association: 18

Number of times worse this is than 9/11: 9

Chance that a hotel has laid off or furloughed employees: 8 in 10

Source: American Hotel & Lodging Association.

Percentage of Americans who linger in the car, the restroom or take an extended break to finish reading or watching something on a phone before returning to work, according to a survey by TRUCE Software: 57

Percentage who take work-related calls while driving to or from work: 51

Percentage who hide a phone while in a meeting to continue to check messages or text with a co-worker: 24

Source: TRUCE Software.

With national unemployment rates hovering around 13%, ranks of Nebraska, District of Columbia and Arizona as the states that had the biggest bounce back in employment, according to a study by WalletHub: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of North Carolina, Vermont and Delaware as the states that have had the slowest bounce back in employment: 1, 2, 3

Source: WalletHub.

When people feel sleepy, percentage of Americans who say it's generally because they're not sleeping well enough, as opposed to not having enough time to sleep, according to The National Sleep Foundation's annual Sleep in America poll: 55

Number of hours of sleep the NSF recommends for adults aged 18-64: 7-9

Number of hours for older adults aged 65 and over: 7-8

Source: National Sleep Foundation.

Percentage of Americans who avoid smiling because they don't like their teeth, according to research by Weave: 50

Percentage of patients who have gone more than three years without getting their teeth checked: 53

Source: Weave.

Percentage of U.S. adults who intentionally reduced their general spending due to the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the economy and stock market, according to a Bankrate.com report: 52

Percentage of U.S. adults with retirement and/or investment accounts who intentionally did nothing with their stock-related investments (such as mutual funds or individual stocks) in response to recent stock market volatility: 66

Among high-income households ($80,000 or more), percentage who cut back due to the economy versus 44% of lower-income households (under $30,000): 53

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of Americans who say they are/were willing to find ways to continue to patronize businesses, such as opting for delivery and pick-up, according to a survey by Fleishman-Hillard: 50

Percentage who said they are or will hold appointments by phone or online: 71

Percentage who will purchase or pay for things they can't currently use, like gift cards: 19

Source: Fleishman-Hillard.

Percentage of parents with kids under 12 who prefer to recycle and reuse products they no longer need rather than throw them away -- 21% higher than nonparents, according to findings by OfferUp from its 2020 Recommerce Report: Parents & Kids: 57

Percentage of parents who admit to throwing away brand-new, never-used items: 10

Number of new and gently used baby and kids' items that were discarded in 2019: 2.3 million

Source: OfferUp.

Ranks of fresh fruits and vegetables (84% saying they purchase), followed by fresh eggs (56%), fresh dairy (55%) and fresh meat (54%) on the list of the most commonly purchased organic product categories, according to a survey by Earthbound Farm: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of organic consumers who say they choose organic because it's healthier for themselves or their families: 75

Source: Earthbound Farm.

Idle Thought

"Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree." -- Ezra Pound, poet

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

Percentage increase in year-over-year e-commerce growth in the retail industry (now accounting for more than 40% of sales), according to a Deloitte survey: 68

In 2019, the percentage of revenue accounted for by brick-and-mortar stores: 85

Source: Deloitte.

Percentage of small businesses in America that are now open, according to a June Alignable survey: 68

Percentage that are fully open: 40

Percentage of pre-COVID-19 employees who are back on the payroll: 47

Source: Alignable.

When asked what they most disliked about managing people, percentage of business owners who said "employees having personal issues that can conflict with work," according to a survey by Oasis: 41

Ranks of "the quality of work not being always up to par," "taking up so much time" and "easier to do the work myself" on the list of reasons for their dislike of managing people: 2, 3, 4

Source: Oasis.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have canceled plans or no longer plan to attend upcoming events because of the coronavirus outbreak, according to Bankrate.com: 62

Of those who canceled plans, percentage who lost money (equal to 59 million people): 37

Among all U.S. adults who had laid out money for canceled plans, percentage who received/will receive a full refund: 30

Source: Bankrate.com.

As a result of COVID-19 and a return to workplaces, percentage of employees who want to be allowed to work from home more often, according to a survey by Robert Half: 79

Percentage of respondents who would like to see staggered work schedules: 55

Source: Robert Half.

Ranks of cleaning the bedroom, making the bed, doing the laundry, clearing the table and looking after the pets on the list of top chores kids do to earn their money, according to RoosterMoney: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: RoosterMoney.

When impulsively shopping, percentage of people who said they typically take advantage of a deal rather than buying at retail price, according to a survey by Slickdeals: 52

Percentage who say they ordered online groceries for the first time during the pandemic: 46

Percentage who have tried a new streaming service: 47

Source: Slickdeals.

Percentage of Americans who said they'll never feel comfortable with the stock market again, though 29% said they still feel comfortable, according to a survey by Lending Tree: 10

Percentage who were confident the stock market would recover from the decline associated with the coronavirus: 78

Percentage who didn't think the stock market would recover in their lifetime: 8

Source: Lending Tree.

Number of Americans who were/are most worried about paying their credit card bill during the pandemic, according to a survey by WalletHub: 46 million

Compared to men, percentage more likely that women expect to get into more debt during the coronavirus pandemic: 21

Source: WalletHub.

While about half of teens have seen drug addiction and alcohol consumption as major problems among people their age, percentage who say they personally feel pressure to use drugs, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17: 4

Percentage who feel pressure to drink alcohol: 6

Source: Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends.

Idle Thought

"A painter is a man who paints what he sells; an artist, on the other hand, is a man who sells what he paints." -- Pablo Picasso

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