Percentage of shoppers who are going into holiday shopping with some idea of what they want to buy, according to research by Tophatter Inc.: 43

Percentage who make a detailed list and stick to it: 16

When asked what gift categories they plan to buy the most of this year, percentage of respondents who cited toys and video games "because they're what all the kids in my life love most": 23

Percentage who say gift cards or cash "because it's easy and always welcome": 20

Source: Tophatter Inc.

Percentage of full-time employees who will not travel out of state over the holidays, according to research from the human capital management company iSolved, detailing the plans and priorities of employees this holiday season: 70

Percentage of staff who will be taking less paid time off this holiday season than ever before: 38

Percentage of employees who want a bonus most from their employer to end the year: 37

Source: iSolved.

Percentage of Americans who either have or are considering opting out of in-person holiday parties this year, according to a survey by Omaha Steaks: 63

Percentage who are contemplating a Zoom holiday instead: 36

Source: Omaha Steaks

Percentage of Americans who say they will spend the same amount of money this holiday season as last year, according to a survey by 5w Public Relations: 53

Percentage who say they would be spending less: 29

Percentage who plan to spend more: 18

Source: 5W Public Relations.

Percentage of mortgage holders who don't know their interest rate, according to a survey from Bankrate: 27

Percentage who have not refinanced this year despite record low rates: 80

Percentage of mortgage borrowers who have a rate of 4% or more, making them likely candidates to refinance at lower rates: 33

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of full-time office employees who say they aren't sad to see office parties go, according to a survey by Molson Coors Beverage Co.: 50

Percentage who would choose time off from work over a holiday party: 70

Source: Molson Coors Beverage Co.

Percentage of shoppers who said out-of-stock merchandise topped their list for a bad shopping experience, according to an Oracle retail survey: 47

Percentage who said they weren't willing to wait for an item to be back in stock before trying another brand: 63

While in-store shopping, percentage who said it was important to see staff and other customers wearing masks: 79

Percentage who said it was important to see visible cleaning efforts: 82

Percentage who noted contactless checkout was important: 66

Source: Oracle.

Percentage of office workers in the U.S. who are OK with wearing a mask in the office, of which 51% said they will wear one as long as is necessary, according to a survey by VoiceNation: 81

Percentage who said they would find it too much to wear a mask all day: 15

Percentage who said they don't mind wearing a mask at work in the short term, but would be less happy if the policy was for the long term: 16

Source: VoiceNation,

Ranks of companionship, reduced stress or anxiety, reduced boredom and monotony, and reduced depression on the list of important benefits of having a pet during COVID-19, according to a report released by Mars Petcare: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of pet owners who welcomed a new pet this year, with more than half doing so for companionship (58%): 30

Rank of spending more time with pets -- ahead of increased flexibility (46%), cost savings from lack of commute (47%) and more time with family (36%) -- as the primary benefit of working from home: 1

Percentage of pet owners who say they worry about the anxiety they may suffer once they have to return to work without their pet: 75

Source: Mars Petcare U.S.

Percentage of employees who have returned to working in offices who say they weren't given a choice, as their company made doing so mandatory, according to a survey by Lives Over Leases, a global movement to protect the health and safety of office building tenants and employees: 63

Percentage of all full-time employees who would like their employer to ensure regular and professional deep cleanings of office and building spaces to increase safety: 63

Percentage who would like limits on the number of people in the office at one time: 58.4

Source: Lives Over Leases.

Idle Thought

"It is not what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable." -- Moliere, actor and playwright (1622-1673)

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

Percentage of consumers who plan to celebrate Thanksgiving in the comfort of their own home this year, according to a survey by Campbell Soup Co.: 65

Compared to a typical year, percentage of consumers who will celebrate Thanksgiving with fewer people: 50

Percentage who said mashed potatoes is one of their favorite Thanksgiving side dishes: 77

Source: Campbell Soup Co.

Percentage of people globally who now say that people will need to be more comfortable working remotely and in highly digital environments, according to the results of a survey conducted by Pearson: 90

Percentage who say that new kinds of jobs will arise from the pandemic, with almost 75% of people rethinking their own career path because of COVID-19: 82

Source: Pearson.

Percentage of Americans who plan to travel for Thanksgiving this year -- down 21 percentage points from 2019, according to a survey by Cars.com: 47

Of those not traveling, percentage who said COVID-19 impacted their plans: 59

Percentage of Thanksgiving travelers who will travel by car to their destination, with most trips happening close to home: 72

Source: Cars.com.

According to an Oracle retail survey, percentage of customers who are ready to venture back into stores this holiday season: 20

Percentage of holiday shoppers who plan to split purchases between online and brick-and-mortar shops: 47

Percentage who plan to make it as close as the parking lot, opting to retrieve orders curbside: 16

Source: Oracle.

Percentage of Americans who expect to plan and prepare their very first holiday meal this Thanksgiving, according to a survey conducted by Shipt: 25

Percentage who also indicated that COVID had shifted their holiday plans, likely having an impact on there being many first-time Thanksgiving meal preparers: 60

Source: Shipt.

Percentage of employees who would quit or look for another job after COVID-19, if no longer allowed to work remotely, according to Owl Labs/Global Workplace Analytics' Report: 50

Percentage who would stay, but be less willing to go the extra mile: 54

Out of employees who said they would stay, percentage who would expect a pay increase to make up for the additional costs: 44

Source: Owl Labs.

Percentage of American adults who said they will spend less money this year this holiday season, according to a survey by Debt.com: 66

Percentage who said their reasons were noneconomic: 60

Percentage who said, "I feel less pressure to buy gifts because of virtual celebrations": 37

Percentage who said, "I don't expect loved ones to spend much on me due to the pandemic": 23

Source: Debt.com.

Percentage of professionals who said they participate in virtual meetings -- spending nearly one-third of their workday (30%) on camera with business contacts or colleagues, according to a survey by Robert Half: 76

Percentage who said they've experienced video call fatigue since the start of the pandemic: 38

Percentage who noted that the practicality and novelty of videoconferencing has worn off over the past eight months: 26

Source: Robert Half Finance and Accounting

Percentage of respondents to a Conference Board survey who expect that 40% or more of their employees will work remotely (at least three days per week) up to 12 months post-pandemic (up from 5% prior to the pandemic), according to research for the Conference Board: 33

From October through December 2020, percentage of companies who plan to restructure the organization: 13

Percentage who plan to cut bonuses: 11

Percentage who plan to conduct permanent layoffs: 9

Percentage who plan to defer pay increases and bonuses: 8

Source: The Conference Board.

Percentage of small business decision-makers who say they will require an increase in sales and/or some manner of assistance to remain in business through the end of the year, according to a CreditCards.com report: 53

Ranks of increased sales, government assistance and a loan on the list of requirements that small businesses need to survive: 1, 2, 3

Source: CreditCards.com.

Idle Thought

"It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterwards." -- Baltasar Gracian, philosopher and writer

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

Percentage of employees who are willing to take a pay cut of up to 5% to work remotely, according to Owl Labs/Global Workplace Analytics' Report: 31

Percentage who would be willing to take a pay cut of up to 10% to work remotely: 26

Estimated percentage of employees who are worried that staying remote could negatively affect their career: 50

Source: Owl Labs.

Percentage of American adults with private health insurance who said they'd be willing to receive a vaccine against COVID-19 when it is released, according to EBRI and Greenwald Research's Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey: 55

Percentage who said they are not willing: 25

Percentage who said "it depends" or "not sure": 21

Source: EBRI.

Ranks of clothing and fashion, electronics and technology, and personal care products and services on the list of the types of gifts Americans hope to receive this holiday season, according to a survey by 5w Public Relations: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of Americans who plan to buy gifts online and in store: 61

Percentage who plan to shop online only: 18

Percentage who plan to shop entirely in store: 9

Source: 5W Public Relations.

Percentage of companies that say they are willing to hire 100% remote workers anywhere in the U.S. or internationally, compared to 12% who were receptive to that approach before COVID-19, according to research by the Conference Board: 36

Compared to just 25% of companies before the pandemic, percentage of companies that are now willing to hire remote workers: 88%

Percentage that still prefer that employees live within commuting distance to the office location: 50

Source: The Conference Board.

Percentage of adults between the ages of 25 and 34 who reported that their office had no plan in place to deal with an emergency, according to research by Zogby: 54

Percentage of adults who report they wouldn't know what to do should an emergency occur in school or the workplace: 55

Source: Zogby International.

Percentage of people who believe their company should be doing more to protect the mental health of their workforce, according to a study by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence: 76

Percentage who noted their companies have added mental health services or support as a result of COVID-19: 51

Source: Oracle CX.

When asked about holiday plans, percentage of Americans ages 70 and older who said they won't see family in person or haven't made plans to do so, according to a survey commissioned by Aloe Care Health: 50

Percentage who stated definitively that they won't be seeing family in person this year: 29

Percentage of Americans aged 70-plus who would like to have daily communication with family: 43

Source: Aloe Care Health.

Percentage of U.S. employees working from home who say they work as productively or better at home, according to a survey by Weber Shandwick and United Minds: 70

Percentage who say they have the tools and resources they need: 85

Source: Weber Shandwick.

Percentage of people who say they will not change holiday gift-exchanging plans because of social distancing, according to research by Tophatter Inc.: 41

Percentage of people who said they don't think the pandemic will change their holiday shopping plans much, if at all: 44

Percentage who said they are buying fewer gifts because they have less money or are on a tighter budget than years past: 30

Source: Tophatter Inc.

Idle Thought

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer." -- Zora Neale Hurston, folklorist and writer

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