Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of Americans who say their interest in sex has not changed during the pandemic, according to a study by Ipsos Public Affairs: 60

Percentage who say it has increased: 18

Percentage who disagree that the pandemic has made it hard to keep the spark alive in their relationship/marriage: 66

Percentage who agree it's been hard to keep the spark alive: 23

Percentage who feel they can be completely honest with their partner right now, with two-thirds agreeing that they are more in love than ever before: 81

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Ranks of getting a haircut/restyle/dye, reorganizing their work bag, and dry cleaning or laundering work clothes on the list of the most common things workers are planning to do to prepare for a return to the office, according to a survey by Laundrapp: 1, 2, 3

Source: Laundrapp.

Percentage of male employees who believe everyone has a fair chance to advance at their company, according to a survey by Clutch: 59

Percentage of female employees who agree: 43

Source: Clutch.

Percentage of people in their 50s and 60s who are now planning to retire earlier than they had anticipated, according to the September 2020 Retirement Confidence Index from SimplyWise: 10

Percentage of people who lost their job due to COVID-19 who are now planning to retire earlier than anticipated: 15

Source: SimplyWise.

Percentage of U.S. parents who are uncomfortable with their kids going back to school, according to data taken from a survey by Dynata: 55

Percentage who say they are comfortable with a return to school: 33

Percentage who want their kids back to school immediately (13% say within the next month): 16

Source: Dynata.

Percentage of travelers who state that the coronavirus is their reason for delaying travel, and avoiding public spaces is atop the priority list if and when they decide to hit the road, according to RVshare: 69

Percentage who said they want to avoid public restrooms: 74

Percentage who want to avoid restaurants when traveling: 62

Source: RVshare.

Percentage of shoppers who are eating at home more often since the pandemic began, according to a research report from Acosta: 55

Percentage of shoppers who are eating breakfast at home every day, compared to 33% pre-COVID: 44

Percentage who are eating lunch at home every day, compared to 18% pre-COVID: 31

Percentage who are eating dinner at home every day, compared to 21% pre-COVID: 33

Source: Acosta.

Percentage of parents who say the benefits of online learning outweigh concerns over screen time (up from 70% in February), according to the results of research by Pearson and Connections Academy: 81

Percentage who say technology is helping their child to be more self-sufficient (up from 80% in February): 84

Source: Pearson.

When asked why they don't have life insurance, percentage of Americans who said it would be too expensive -- estimating that it would cost $300/year or more, according to a survey from Erie Insurance: 38

Percentage of those who buy insurance who say they want to have money to leave as an inheritance for loved ones: 37

Percentage of those who buy it who say it's so their loved ones would have money to pay for funeral expenses: 37

Source: Erie Insurance.

Percentage of parents who have either reduced or stopped work completely to educate their children from home, according to the results of a survey by HomeschoolExpert.com: 42

Of those, percentage who have reduced their hours by 50% or more: 30

Percentage who stopped work altogether: 16

Source: Homeschool Expert.

Idle Thought

"I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree." -- (Alfred) Joyce Kilmer, journalist and poet (1886-1918)

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

Percentage of Americans who have taken up new habits as a result of the impact of COVID-19 on their daily lives, according to a survey by N26: 64

Percentage who spoke to family more in the wake of COVID-19: 34

Percentage of those respondents who are committed to doing so post-pandemic: 79

Source: N26.

Percentage of Americans who credit the COVID-19 pandemic with finally teaching them how to be smart with their money, according to a survey commissioned by Slickdeals: 51

Age at which the average American becomes a frugal person: 31

Percentage who also said that they consider being called frugal a compliment: 66

Source: Slickdeals.

Percentage of employees who claim they are burnt out, up from 45% in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Eagle Hill Consulting: 58

Percentage who say it is attributable to COVID-19 circumstances, up from 25% in April: 35

Percentage who attribute burnout to their workload: 47

Source: Eagle Hill Consulting.

Percentage of Americans who did not take a summer vacation this year, according to a survey by Value Penguin: 72

Percentage of working Americans who did not use any of their paid time off this summer: 44

Additional percentage who took less time off than normal: 22

Source: ValuePenguin.com.

Percentage of small businesses that accepted Paycheck Protection Program loans from the Small Business Administration, according to CreditCards.com: 30

Percentage that accessed cash from a business savings account: 24

Percentage that used a business credit card for financing: 20

Percentage that took out another type of loan: 9

Percentage of small businesses that have depended on at least one of the aforementioned funding sources over the past five months: 70

Source: CreditCards.com.

Percentage of U.S. office workers who say that their company has made masks compulsory in the workplace, according to a survey by VoiceNation: 86

Of these, percentage who said their company requires masks to be worn at all times, in all areas: 60

Percentage who said their company requires them to be worn only in communal areas: 25

Source: VoiceNation.

Percentage of adults polled in Australia, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States who worry about the potential abuse of their personal data, according to a survey on data personalization, privacy and trust sponsored by Genesys: 91

Percentage who say their concern has grown over the last five years: 46

Percentage who say it's unacceptable for businesses to share customer details with partner vendors without first securing permission: 70

Source: Genesys.

Percentage of parents who are pursuing their own "pandemic pods," in which groups of students learn together in homes under the tutelage of a parent or hired teacher, according to a survey conducted by Discount School Supply: 27

Percentage of parents who are unfamiliar with the pod concept: 30

Source: Discount School Supply.

Percentage of K-12 educators who say the pandemic has made the public more aware of the importance of their work, according to a poll by Center for State and Local Government Excellence: 68

Percentage who indicate that they value serving their community during this difficult time: 64

Source: Center for State and Local Government Excellence.

Percentage of managers and executives who say the timing of when their companies will reopen the workplace is unknown, according to a Conference Board survey: 35

Percentage of companies that plan to reopen by the first quarter of 2021: 39

Percentage that have remained open throughout the pandemic: 13

Source: Conference Board.

Idle Thought

"Ideologies separate us. Dreams and anguish bring us together." -- Eugene Ionesco, playwright

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

Percentage of employees polled who say they have missed workplace banter during lockdown, according to a survey by Laundrapp: 40

Percentage who are looking forward to socializing with office colleagues: 34

Percentage who will miss spending time with the people they live with: 24

Source: Laundrapp.

Percentage of Americans who worry about job security this Labor Day, according to a survey by WalletHub: 33

Percentage of people who think that Congress should continue to give extra unemployment benefits until the pandemic ends: 74

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of adult women in the U.S. who find men who wear a face mask in public during the COVID-19 pandemic sexier than those who do not (including women who are currently in a relationship with a non-mask wearer), according to a survey for the sexual wellness brand Royal: 88

Source: Royal/Take Shape PR.

Percentage of U.S. adults who are worried about the rising price of groceries, according to an American Staffing Association survey: 75

Ranks of the overall cost of living rising, stock market ups and downs and retirement funds losing money on the list of top reasons U.S. adults are worried about reinstatement of stay-at-home orders in the event of a COVID-19 resurgence in the next year: 2, 3, 4

Source: American Staffing Association.

Percentage of learners who say the pandemic has fundamentally changed education as we know it and they believe there is little likelihood of ever returning to the pre-COVID world of fully in-person work and learning, according to the results of a survey conducted by Pearson: 75

Percentage of learners globally who say online learning will be a permanent part of primary, secondary and higher education moving forward: 88

Percentage of people who say that the pandemic has permanently changed the way people work: 77

Source: Pearson.

This year, percentage of Americans who say they had planned to spend money on big-ticket items, such as buying a new car, paying off debt, going on a vacation abroad or buying a new house, according to a survey by N26: 61

As new challenges and priorities emerged with the crisis, percentage of people who were forced to cancel or postpone such spending: 63

Percentage of people in this situation who lost money because of canceled plans (with an average loss of $759): 39

Percentage who actually saved money as a result: 71

Average amount saved by those who held onto their money: $2,102.

Source: N26.

Percentage of students who lack consistent access to high-speed internet and Wi-Fi, according to a new survey from Visual Objects: 51

Despite expected issues of cheating and technology accessibility, percentage of students who are comfortable taking online courses: 55

Percentage who believe remote learning will not affect their grades: 47

Source: Visual Objects.

Percentage of people who said they've left the kitchen while cooking on the stove, according to an American Red Cross survey: 70

Percentage who left the room or fell asleep while burning candles: 33

Percentage of adults who reported not purchasing a fire alarm because of the expense -- representing nearly 33 million Americans, which is greater than the population of Texas: 10

Source: American Red Cross.

Percentage of homeowners who live in high-risk states for hurricanes who feel prepared for the current hurricane season, according to research by ValuePenguin: 86

Percentage who haven't actually made any preparations: 33

Percentage of homeowners in hurricane-prone states who have no idea how much hurricane-related insurance coverage they need to be fully protected: 45

Source: ValuePenguin.com.

While 90% of high school seniors state they are moderately to extremely knowledgeable about all the financing options for college, percentage who either do not plan to or aren't yet sure if they'll fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), according to research by Ascent Funding: 32

Percentage of high school seniors who plan to apply for merit-based aid or scholarships to pay for college: 44

Percentage who are already planning to work specifically to pay for the cost of their education, adding distractions to their studies prior to even being on campus and settling in to college life: 56

Source: Ascent Funding.

Idle Thought

"We haven't yet learned how to stay human when assembled in masses." -- Lewis Thomas, physician and author

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