Ranks of heavy workloads, long work hours and tight deadlines on the list of the most-stressful aspects of running a small business, according to The UPS Store's annual small-business survey: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of just working through it, prioritizing tasks/responsibilities and analyzing the situation for a solution/plan of action on the list of approaches used to combat these stressors: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of small-business owners who say they have recently changed or pivoted their business: 41

Percentage who are doing more business online: 65

Source: The UPS Store.

If a coronavirus vaccine arrives this year -- which would make it the fastest-ever vaccine approval by a huge margin -- percentage of Americans who think taking a first-generation vaccine as soon as it's available is risky, according to the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index: 60

Percentage who have established a "bubble" of people outside their home who only interact with each other, as an attempt to create a small sense of normalcy in social life: 47

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of small-business decision-makers who say they or their business owners have dipped into their personal funds to keep their businesses afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a CreditCards.com report: 35

Percentage who say they or the owners used a personal credit card: 24

Percentage who say they or the owners have tapped into a personal savings account since March: 21

Source: CreditCards.com.

Though skills learned through chores are among the most important lessons parents hope to instill in their children, percentage of parents who say their children regularly do chores -- down from 79% in 1997 -- according to a survey by the Whirlpool Corp.: 70

Percentage who say that it's not important to them that their children do chores: 15

Source: Whirlpool.

Percentage decline in grocery shopping once a week or more (from 67% of shoppers to 47% of shoppers) since the pandemic began, according to a research report from Acosta: 30

When looking at total household spending, percentage of shoppers who are spending more on groceries than they were pre-COVID: 50

Of shoppers spending more on groceries, percentage who cited eating at home more as their reason: 59

Source: Acosta.

Average amount per family that parents with children in elementary school through high school say they plan to spend on back-to-school shopping (topping the previous record of $696.70 they said they would spend last year), according to a survey by the National Retail Federation: $789.49

Average amount that college students and their families expect to spend per family: $1,059.20

Source: NRF.

This time last year, percentage of U.S. adults who said they typically made purchases under $10 with cash, according to a CreditCards.com survey: 49

Percentage rise in credit card usage at grocery stores between December 2019 and April 2020, according to a Bankrate.com survey: 70

Percentage rise in Visa U.S. contactless payments from March 2019 to March 2020: 150

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of "cord cutters" who say live TV is not important to them, according to E-Poll Market research: 52

Of those who still have traditional pay-TV, percentage who say having access to live TV is "very important": 49

Monthly cost of YouTube TV (up from $15): $65

Source: E-Poll Market Research.

Percentage of college students who said paying for school is one of their top concerns, according to a student survey conducted by Scholarship America: 64

Percentage who listed contracting the coronavirus as a top concern: 42

Percentage who said the pandemic has reduced their ability to earn income needed for their education: 77

Percentage of respondents who said the pandemic has increased their need for financial aid: 64

Source: Scholarship America.

Percentage of Americans who would be at least somewhat uncomfortable with flying in the next month, limiting summer travel possibilities, according to a survey from The Manifest: 67

Despite concerns about air travel as daily new cases have surged, percentage of people who have fully canceled their 2020 travel plans: 23

Percentage who are stopping additional travel planning: 32

Percentage who are continuing to plan: 15

Source: The Manifest.

Idle Thought

"Do not believe that it is very much of an advance to do the unnecessary three times as fast." -- Peter Drucker, management consultant, professor and writer

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

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they've delayed at least one major financial milestone as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 36

Ranks of finding a new job, buying/leasing a car and buying a home on the most likely financial milestones that have been delayed: 1, 2, 3

Source: Bankrate.com.

Ranks of lingering in a car/restroom or taking an extended break to finish reading or watching something on a phone before returning to work, taking work-related calls while driving to and from work, and hiding a phone while in a meeting to continue to check messages or text with a co-worker on the list of counterproductive and unsafe behaviors regarding mobile device usage on the job, according to a survey by TRUE Software: 1, 2, 3

Source: TRUE Software.

Estimated percentage of employees ages 18 to 38 who say companies should prioritize diversity over experience and capabilities when it comes to making hiring decisions, according to a survey by Topia: 40

Percentage who also say they have to hide parts of who they are in order to fit in at work: 25

Percentage who said being empowered and trusted makes for a great employee experience: 58

Percentage who cited training, job rotation or international assignments on the list of attributes of a great employee experience: 48

Percentage who cited having the right tech: 39

Percentage who cited an amazing office space and perks: 19

Source: Topia.

Percentage of parents who say that COVID-19 has changed their attitude toward back-to-school spending, according to a WalletHub survey: 71

Percentage of parents who say they will spend the same or less on back-to-school shopping compared to 2019: 79

Number of times more likely moms are than dads to say they won't do any back-to-school shopping this year: 3

Source: WalletHub.

Ranks of more affordable housing, proximity to family/partners and retirement on the list of reasons participants gave for packing up their lives and relocating, according to a new survey conducted by Redfin: 1, 2, 3

While only a quarter of participants move for affordability, percentage who said their ability to afford nonhousing expenses and leisure activities improved after their relocation: 60

Source: Redfin.

Ranks of soft skills, personal enrichment/life experience and hard skills on the list of the most valuable benefits of college, according to a report from BestColleges: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of all degree holders who said the skills they learned in college were helpful in their current jobs: 79

Source: BestColleges.

Amount the U.S. cloud gaming market could generate in annual subscription revenue, as 30% of U.S. broadband households currently express interest in this service, according to research from Parks Associates: $3 billion

Percentage of U.S. broadband households who play video games for at least one hour per week: 74

Average number of hours per week gamers play, a number skewed toward heavy gamers, with PC gaming showing the biggest gains as a result of COVID-19 pandemic: 22

Source: Parks Associates.

Estimated number of people -- more than one-third of credit card holders -- who said they involuntarily had a credit limit reduced or a credit card account closed altogether during a 60-day period stretching from mid-May to mid-July, according to a survey from CompareCards: 70 million

Percentage who said they had their credit limit reduced on at least one card in the past 60 days: 34

Source: CompareCards.

As the pandemic continues, percentage of shoppers who are more cautious than optimistic about the future, according to a COVID-19 grocery shopper research report from Acosta: 64

Percentage who are looking ahead with optimism: 24

Percentage of shoppers who say they have found time for more relaxation during the pandemic: 53

Percentage who reported that they are sleeping more: 40

Source: Acosta.

While 68% of Americans see dining out as a high- or moderate-risk activity, percentage who report doing it in the last week, according to the ABC News/Ipsos poll: 30

Source: Ipsos.

Idle Thought

"I know what I have given you. I do not know what you have received." -- Antonio Porchia

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

Percentage of company leaders who are either very unprepared or unprepared to manage remote teams, according to a survey from VitalSmarts: 20

Percentage who are concerned COVID-19 will influence their company's operations: 65

Source: VitalSmarts.

Percentage of shoppers who say they are worse off financially than they were pre-pandemic -- including 9% who are much worse off, according to a COVID-19 grocery shopper research report from Acosta: 37

Percentage of millennials who are worse off, the hardest-hit generation: 43

Source: Acosta.

On average, percentage fewer matches that men displaying shirtless pictures on dating profiles have than those who are clothed, according to a survey by Dating.com: 25

Percentage of men who actually believe that shirtless pictures help their chances of landing a match: 90

Percentage of all women surveyed who indicated that shirtless pictures implies a lack of maturity and self-awareness: 66

Source: Dating.com Group.

Percentage of physicians across all areas (with the exception of behavioral health) who reported that they had either been furloughed or taken pay cuts, according to a survey by Sage Growth Partners of U.S. physicians to assess how COVID-19 has changed the way they deliver care: 55

Percentage who plan on closing their offices for an extended period or permanently: 10 to 12

Percentage who believe their practices will return to pre-COVID-19 patient volumes within the next three to six months: 78

Source: Sage Growth Partners.

Total amount of money lost through theft, fraud and losses from other retail "shrink" in 2019, up from $50.6 billion the year before, according to the National Retail Federation: $61.7 billion

According to the report, average percentage of sales attributed to shrink, up from 1.38% in 2018: 1.62

Source: NRF.

Percentage of Americans who are more concerned about their retirement today compared to a year ago -- up from 56% this May, according to the SimplyWise Index: 62

Percentage who believe they will outlive their retirement savings: 50

Percentage of Americans in their 50s who say they could not last more than a year off their savings: 80

Source: SimplyWise.

Percentage of employees who give their company an exceptional rating for employee experience, according to a survey issued by Topia and conducted by Method Research: 17

Percentage of employees who feel that if their manager or colleagues knew their political beliefs, it would limit their career potential: 25

Specifically among HR personnel, percentage who say they feel the need to keep their personal beliefs private: 44

Source: Topia.

Percentage of Americans with children who use some digital technology applications to support communication with their children and help to educate as well as entertain them, according to Parks Associates research: 80

Percentage of broadband households with children who have had an adult in the household lose their job, receive a salary cut or had their work hours reduced because of COVID-19: 50

Source: Parks Associates.

Percentage of diners who have scaled back ordering from restaurants since March, according to a survey by MGH: 48

Percentage who have said they have ordered a family meal deal: 55

Percentage who have ordered snacks or desserts: 30

Percentage who have ordered meal kits: 11

Source: MGH.

Idle Thought

"To the artist, there is never anything ugly in nature." -- Auguste Rodin, sculptor

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