Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of Americans who are spending 30 more minutes each day cooking in the kitchen compared to the same time last year, according to a survey conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Farm Rich: 30

Percentage who reach for comfort food to bring happiness: 41

Percentage who have gained a few pounds staying at home -- an extra six pounds on average: 85

Source: Farm Rich.

Percentage of American adults who have a least-favorite cleaning task, or "mess nemesis," according to a survey by Jelmar for CLR: 88

Percentage who have dodged their least-favorite cleaning task in one way or another, some leaving the task to a family member or housemate, or even to a completely different homeowner: 61

Percentage who have dodged their least-favorite cleaning task by moving to a new home: 4

Percentage who have ignored it: 25

Source: Jelmar.

Percentage of Americans who say it is not very likely or not at all likely they would get the first-generation COVID-19 vaccine, while 39% report that they would, according to an Ipsos poll: 60

Percentage who say they will wait a few months after (30%) or a year or more (18%) after a vaccine is available: 48

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Estimated number of U.S. adults who plan to participate in Halloween-related activities this year, according to the National Retail Federation's annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics: 148 million

Rank of safe at-home activities on the list of priorities for celebrating the occasion: 1

Percentage who plan to decorate their homes: 53

Percentage who plan to carve a pumpkin: 46

Percentage who will dress up their pet: 18

Source: NRF.

Number of Americans who traveled during the Labor Day weekend, the highest passenger volume since March -- with the busiest day of travel up 30% from the July 4th holiday weekend, as reported by the Transportation Security Administration: 3 million

Source: FINN Partners.

Amid this year's historic coronavirus pandemic, percentage of small- and mid-size business owners and executives who reported that they have made adaptations to their business in response to COVID-19, including safety changes (69%), such as new policies and procedures (62%) or physical modifications (57%), and/or adopted work-from-home policies (33%), according to a PNC survey: 79

Percentage of businesses who report increased use of technology since the outbreak began: 51

Source: PNC Financial Services Group.

Percentage of moms who say they're up late at night to care for their children, according to a survey by Zulily: 17

Percentage who stay awake planning the future: 16

Percentage of moms who say they feel judged by other parents for their parenting decisions: 38

Source: Zulily.

Percentage of the U.S. population who are aware of the importance of sun protection and state they use sun protection during sun exposure, according to a survey by ISIDIN: 50.3

Percentage of Americans who use sunscreen with the objective of preventing sun spots and wrinkles: 52

Percentage who use it because of the worry of developing skin cancer: 27

Source: ISIDIN.

Percentage of Americans who said their opinion of the U.S. health care system has changed for the worse in the face of COVID-19, according to the results of a healthinsurance.com survey: 33

Percentage who said their opinion changed for the better: 14

Percentage who said they're afraid of contracting the virus because of health care costs: 33

Source: healthinsurance.com.

Percentage of business leaders who feel positive about the role that AI will play in the future, with the No. 1 expectation being that it will make business processes more efficient, according to a report published by information hub the AI Journal: 72

Percentage who have suggested that AI will help to create new business models: 55

Source: AI Journal.

Idle Thought

"Contentment is, after all, simply refined indolence." -- Thomas Chandler Haliburton, author, judge and politician (1776-1865)

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

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.)