Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of employees who say working from home gives them more time with family/better work-life balance, according to Owl Labs/Global Workplace Analytics' Report: 72

Percentage who cited increased productivity/better focus: 70

Source: Owl Labs.

Percentage of moms who say that helping their child learn to be their most authentic self is most important—more important than raising a successful high-achiever or a person of high intelligence, according to Meredith Corp.'s first-ever parents values study: 28

Percentage of moms who are confident in their parenting and rate their skills as excellent or very good: 51

Source: Meredith.

In 2016, the percentage of voting age citizens who cast a vote in the U.S. general election, according to Pew Research: 61

Date upon which early voting in the 2020 general election surpassed 50% of the total vote in the U.S. election in 2016: Oct. 27

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Percentage of U.S. shoppers who say that free standard shipping is the No. 1 service they expect from brands and retailers this holiday season, according to findings from Episerver: 83

Source: Episerver.

Percentage of Americans who say they have achieved the American Dream, according to a survey by Zogby: 24

Percentage who said it is within reach: 26

Percentage who said it was slipping away: 19

Percentage who have lost hope: 18

Source: Zogby International.

Percentage of Americans who say that their cellphone is their most important belonging during the pandemic, according to a WalletHub survey: 50

Percentage of Americans who plan to reduce the cost of their cellphone due to the COVID-19 pandemic: 35

Source: WalletHub.

Between February 2020 and June 2020, the number by which unemployed individuals increased, from 2 million to 17.9 million, according to the Employment Benefits Research Institute: 15.9 million

Of those workers who lost jobs, number who also lost employer-sponsored health insurance: 7.7 million

Number of dependents for whom they are responsible: 6.9 million

Source: EBRI.

Percentage of Americans who report they won't be traveling to see friends and family this year, according to a survey by Travelocity: 60

Percentage who said they have a personal vacation planned later this year: 25

Source: Expedia.

Percentage of parents with children who believe it is important to be proficient with tech, according to a survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of VTech: 88

Percentage who believe technology will shape who their child becomes: 87

Percentage who think technology allows their child to be creative in new and different ways, with the same number believing outlets for creative self-expression are important for their child's development: 85

Source: VTech Electronics.

Idle Thought

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity." -- Louis Pasteur, chemist and bacteriologist

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

Percentage of millennial moms and young parents who say that Halloween 2020 is more important than ever, according to data from the National Confectioners Association: 74

Percentage of parents who indicate they have taken candy from their children after a night of trick-or-treating: 79

Percentage who will participate in trick-or-treating, whether handing out the candy or going out with their children: 66

Source: National Confectioners Association

Percentage of Americans who believe science benefits them, according to researchamerica.org: 88

Percentage who believe America should maintain its global leadership in science: 89

Percentage who support incentives for private sector investment in science and technology: 76

Source: Research America.

Size of the food gifting market in the U.S., according to Packaged Facts: $21 billion

Percentage of people buying food gifts for others who purchased a food gift for Halloween: 20

Source: Packaged Facts.

Percentage of parents with children aged 3 to 12 years old who are impressed by how quickly their child picks up new technology, according to a survey conducted on behalf of VTech: 85

Percentage of parents who believe their child will have more opportunities than they did because they grew up with technology: 82

Percentage who believe it is important for children to be introduced to technology at a young age: 78

Source: VTech Electronics

Percentage of adults between the ages of 25 and 34 who believe an event such as contracting COVID-19 or experiencing a critical violent incident could prevent them from fulfilling their life goals in their education or career, according to research by Zogby: 64

Percentage of the nation's teens who said the same: 54

Percentage of parents who feel that their child's school is more dangerous today than it was six months ago: 52

Percentage of adults feel the same about their workplace: 41

Source: Zogby International

Percentage of managers who say that remote work has made their teams less creative, according to a study released by Lucid: 26

Percentage of C-suite respondents who reported their company was forced to delay major launches, campaigns or initiatives as a result of employees working from home (WFH) and collaborating virtually: 43

Percentage of managers who rated employee productivity as their top concern with employees WFH: 80

Rank of collaboration on the list of areas that employees say has been negatively affected by WFH: 1

Source: Lucid Marketing

With respect to horror villains, percentage of Americans who consider Leatherface from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" to be the scariest, according to an Ipsos poll: 22

Percentage who chose Jason from "Friday the 13th" series: 20

If they were trapped in a horror movie, percentage of Americans say they would want Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) from "Alien" to protect them: 24

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of Americans who say they have made progress on their top financial priority, while 17% have not made progress and 9% have fallen further behind, according to a new survey by Bankrate.com: 71

Of those just trying to get caught up or stay current on the bills, percentage who have made progress: 65

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of Americans who feel positive when they think about their future, according to a survey by Champlain College: 66

Percentage of American adults with children in their household who were more optimistic about their career prospects than those without children living at home (51%): 63

Source: Champlain College.

Percentage of Americans who believe the pandemic is the greatest threat to the U.S. economy in the next six months, according to a survey by bankrate.com: 44

Percentage who are most concerned about the outcome of the election: 34

Source: Bankrate.com.

Idle Thought

"If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants." -- Isaac Newton, philosopher and mathematician

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

Percentage of shoppers who are sick of having to cook more during the pandemic, while 35% of shoppers found a new passion for cooking during the pandemic, according to a research report from Acosta: 25

Percentage of Americans who say planning different meals every day was one of the biggest challenges faced when meal planning: 40

Source: Acosta.

Percentage of Americans who are considering tapping their 401(k) given the economic climate, according to the Retirement Confidence Index from SimplyWise: 27

Source: SimplyWise

Percentage of Americans who would rather give up alcohol instead of their favorite comfort food dish, according to a survey conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Farm Rich: 67

Rank of steak on the list of the comfort food meal everyone is most looking forward to enjoying at a restaurant post-pandemic: 1

Source: Farm Rich.

Percentage of moms who say they plan on making their family's Halloween costumes, according to a survey by Zulily: 34

Percentage who will whip up spooky treats in the kitchen rather than spend money on store-bought sweets: 31

Source: Zulily.

Percentage of respondents who would rather wait at the DMV than do their least-favorite cleaning task, according to a survey by Jelmar for CLR: 41

Percentage of American adults who have found themselves cleaning their homes more frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic: 60

Percentage who have tackled a cleaning task they’ve been avoiding for years during the pandemic: 53

Source: Jelmar.

Ranks of kindness, love of family, intelligence, strong work ethic and individuality on the list of qualities moms most hope to instill in their children, according to Meredith Corp.'s first-ever parents values study: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage of moms who say kids today are less kind than past generations: 76

Percentage who say that showing their child how to be compassionate and kind is the most important task of parenthood: 50

Source: Meredith Corp.

Percentage of countries that included "birdsong" in their top-three valued sounds out of a total of 20, according to a global survey conducted by hearing aid maker Widex: 75

When prompted about which sounds in nature specifically were most important, percentage who listed birdsong: 42

In the eight nations surveyed, number of countries whose residents identified birdsong as their top natural sound: 8

In the U.K., rank of birdsong on the list of the most valued sound across all categories, including music and voices: 1

Source: Widex.

Amount the average employee has saved while working remotely through COVID-19, according to Owl Labs/Global Workplace Analytics Report: $479.20

Extra number of hours per month the average employee worked remotely through COVID-19: 26

Percentage of full-time workers across the United States who, afraid of getting COVID-19, would prefer to work from home: 79

Percentage who say working from home allows them to avoid the commute: 79

Percentage who said working from home reduces stress: 74

Source: Owl Labs.

Percentage of couples who said the pandemic has changed their expectations for their wedding, according to research by Brides.com: 81

Percentage who said that living through the pandemic has made them want to marry their significant other more: 82

Percentage of couples who had to postpone their wedding due to COVID-19: 66

Percentage who still decided to have a wedding during the pandemic: 36

Source: Brides.com.

Percentage of the global workforce whose mental health has been negatively affected by COVID-19, according to a study by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence: 78

Despite perceived drawbacks of remote work, percentage of people who find remote work more appealing now than they did before the pandemic, citing they now have more time to spend with family (51%), sleep (31%) and get work done (30%): 62

Source: Oracle CX.

Idle Thought

"You have not converted a man because you have silenced him." -- John Morley, statesman and writer

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