Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of moms who agree that celebrating Halloween this year will be a nice break from everything happening in the world, according to a survey by Zulily: 32

Percentage who agree that planning fun activities is good for their families -- but they’re doing so on a budget: 36

Source: Zulily.

Percentage of dating.com users who admitted they went through a breakup in the last year, a significant increase from last year's findings of only 34%, according to a survey by dating.com: 67

Of the 67% who said they have ended relationships in 2020, percentage who said they lived with their significant other, while only 18% said they weren't cohabiting: 49

Of those living with their ex-partner, percentage who revealed they realized living together caused many fights, which ended with separation: 25

Source: dating.com.

Percentage of Americans who are reverting to childhood food favorites and eating more comfort food during the pandemic (includes an uptick in such favorites as pizza, hamburgers, ice cream, French fries, mac and cheese, and spaghetti and meatballs), according to a survey conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Farm Rich: 66

Percentage who say they’ll continue to enjoy the same amount of comfort food post-pandemic: 69

Source: Farm Rich.

Percentage of parents living with children at home -- compared to adults without children at home (32%) -- who say they're spending more time outdoors with family and friends, according to research from Finn Partners: 50

Percentage of parents with kids 18 and under in the house who report feeling more connected to their social networks, compared to 28% of nonparents: 44

Source: Finn Partners.

Percentage of Americans who felt guilty asking for time off since they're working from home, according to a survey by ValuePenguin: 13

Percentage of consumers who had to put off a milestone trip such as an anniversary or graduation celebration because of the pandemic: 33

Source: ValuePenguin.com.

Percentage of U.S. adults who say their top financial priority over the past few months has been catching up or staying current on the bills (up from 38% last year), according to a new survey by Bankrate.com: 46

Ranks of saving more money, paying down debt and providing financial assistance to family members or friends on the list of top financial priorities: 2, 3, 4

Source: Bankrate.com.

Though the holiday season may still feel far off, percentage of holiday shoppers -- 46 million people -- who have already started or plan to start their holiday shopping by the end of September, according to CreditCards.com: 25

Source: CreditCards.com.

Percentage of Americans who acknowledge that COVID-19's impact has made them more likely to speak about money to loved ones, according to a survey by N26: 22

Percentage who don't think it's wise to travel abroad at the moment due to COVID-19, and would rather opt to stay close to home: 46

Source: N26.

Percentage of U.S. broadband households that feel safe enough with only a professionally monitored home security system, while 55% report feeling “safe enough” with only a self-monitored home security system, according to research from Parks Associates: 60

Percentage of security system owners who feel safe in their home today: 92

Source: Parks Associates.

Idle Thought

“Would the boy you were be proud of the man you are?” -- Laurence J. Peter, educator and author

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

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.)