Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of Americans who say women face a lot of pressure to be an involved parent, according to a Pew Research survey: 77

Percentage who say the same of men: 49

Percentage of women who feel pressured to be physically attractive: 71

Percentage who say the same of men: 27

Source: Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends.

Percentage of newlyweds who went into wedding debt, according to a study by LendingTree: 45

Among those who went into debt, percentage who said money caused them to contemplate divorce, compared to just 9% of those couples who did not go into debt for their wedding: 47

Percentage of newlyweds who wish they spent less on their wedding: 25

Rank of spending too much on food and drink or the venue on the list of regrets: 1

Source: LendingTree.

Percentage of Americans who said they were planning to celebrate Independence Day with a cookout, barbecue or a picnic, according to research by Statista: 56

Percentage who planned to attend fireworks/community celebrations: 24

Percentage who were going to a parade: 6

Source: Statista.

Percentage of employees who want to be fully remote post-pandemic and will not tolerate being compensated less for remote work, according to survey data from salary.com: 48

Percentage who want a hybrid work model: 44

Percentage of employers who support the hybrid work model: 51

Source: salary.com.

On average, percentage of people in 28 countries across the world who think that their country is divided by "culture wars," according to an Ipsos Global Advisor poll, carried out in partnership with the Policy Institute at King's College London: 35

Ranks of South Africa, India, the United States and Brazil on the list of countries where people are most likely to feel that their country is divided that way: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of the United States and South Africa where people perceive that their country is divided by tension between different ethnicities: 1, 2

Source: Ipsos.

Percentage of people who want rewards on gas more than any other type of travel purchase, according to a survey by WalletHub: 63

Percentage who consider the price of gas when making summer travel plans: 54

Source: WalletHub.

Ranks of real estate and cash investments, such as savings accounts or CDs, on the list of Americans' preferred ways to invest over a period of 10 years or more, according to a Bankrate.com report: 1, 2

While the stock market topped the list in 2020 with 28% of Americans pointing to it as their preferred way to invest money not needed for a decade or longer, percentage who chose it this year: 16

Percentage of Americans who indicate some level of comfort with investing in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin: 35

Source: Bankrate.com.

Entering the summer months of 2021, percentage of Americans who say they have grown more comfortable with the plane as a mode of transportation, compared to 2020, according to an Out of Home Advertising Association survey: 59

Percentage of Americans who say they have grown more comfortable with trains: 56

Percentage who had grown more comfortable with the subway: 38

Source: Out of Home Advertising Association.

Percentage of U.S. adults who identify as politically independent, though most "lean" toward one of the two major parties, according to a Pew Research Center report: 38

Percentage of Americans overall who don't express a partisan leaning: 7

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

Percentage of American voters who support the U.S. helping global COVID-19 vaccination efforts, according to research by Data For Progress: 79

Estimated percentage of likely voters who agree that pharmaceutical companies, governments and countries around the world should work collaboratively to help us recover from the pandemic as quickly as we can: 90

Percentage who want to share excess vaccine doses from the U.S. stockpile that would otherwise expire unused: 83

Source: Data For Progress.

Idle Thought

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony." -- Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

Percentage of social media users who said they wouldn't give up their accounts for less than $10,000, despite acknowledging that the platforms contribute to their symptoms of poor mental health, according to a survey of social media users by the ReBoot Foundation: 70

Percentage who said it would take a million dollars or more: 20

Source: The Reboot Foundation.

Percentage of U.S. employees who plan to leave their employer as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, according to a survey from Eagle Hill Consulting: 27

Percentage who expect to leave their job in the next year: 29

Percentage of millennial workers who plan to leave within the next year: 33

Source: Eagle Hill Consulting.

Ranks of quiet location, updated kitchen and a garage and large backyard on the list of features most post-COVID home shoppers look for, according to a study by Realtor.com: 1, 2, 3

Percentage who say that they consider extended family when they shop for a home, with nearly a quarter stating that they are planning to buy near family members: 65

Source: Realtor.com.

Percentage of HR professionals who are confident that they know where the majority of their employees are working, according to a survey by Topia: 93

Percentage who are confident their employees self-report when working in another state or country: 78

Source: Topia.

Percentage of diners who value lower prices the most when eating in restaurants, according to research by Acosta: 51

Percentage who value promotions and limited offers the most: 43

Percentage who value healthier options, including high-protein, lower sugar or sugar-free, low-calorie and locally grown meal choices: 37

Source: Acosta.

Percentage of parents with children under age 18 who will pay for some form of summer child care this year, with the average cost per child at $834 for the summer, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 46

Percentage who plan to pay for summer childcare who will incur credit card debt from the expenses: 45

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of high schoolers who are most worried about people they know and love getting sick and dying (a number that rises to 52% of Black and Hispanic teens), according to a GENYOUth survey: 45

Percentage who are most concerned about losing the happiest and most exciting years of their lives to the pandemic: 53

Source: GENYOUth.

Estimated 2021 forecast for summer vacation spending, according to Allianz Partners: $153.7 billion

Percentage increase this represents over the summer vacation spend in locked-down 2020 (and an impressive 50% increase over a robust 2019): 160

Anticipated average spend per vacationing household, the second time the figure has topped $2,000 since the company began tracking vacation habits in 2010: $2,122

Source: Allianz Global Assistance USA.

Among the 38% of Americans who worked from home at some point since the pandemic was declared in March 2020, percentage who said working from home had a positive effect on their personal finances, according to a study from Bankrate.com: 57

Ranks of having more freedom, more family time and more sleep on the list of the most common positives of working from home: 1, 2, 3

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of U.S. companies who say that employees' well-being is extremely important, compared to 39% globally, according to a new Aon/Ipsos poll: 36

Percentage who say that well-being is integrated in their company's overall business and talent strategy: 38

Source: Ipsos.

Idle Thought

"Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use." -- Emily Post

Rank of financial security on the list of the most important attributes of a positive outlook on life, according to research by Northwestern Mutual: 1

Ranks of anxiety "all the time" or "often," insecurity and fear on the list of emotions caused by a shaky financial situation: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of Americans who said that financial anxiety makes them feel depressed at least monthly: 28

Source: Northwestern Mutual.

Percentage of Americans who credit the pandemic with helping them "refocus on what's most important in life," according to Edward R. Jones' and Age Wave's latest study, in partnership with The Harris Poll: 76

Percentage of retirees who say that the pandemic has given them "more appreciation for what makes life meaningful" (vs. only 46% of all other Americans who say the same): 61

Percentage of retirees who say that they now have "greater empathy and compassion for people who are struggling in ways that they are not": 53

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of Americans who admitted they struggle to find time for self-love and self-care, according to research by Mederma: 54

Percentage who are prioritizing the needs of others and neglecting their own mental health: 62

Source: Mederma.

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they are willing to accrue debt to "treat themselves," according to a CreditCards.com report: 44

Percentage who say they will spend more money in second half of the year on nonessentials: 66

Source: CreditCards.com.

Number of states (plus D.C.) that chose broccoli as their favorite vegetable, according to a survey by Green Giant: 31

Number that chose carrots: 12

Number that chose corn: 8

Source: Green Giant.

Ranks of mowing the lawn ($8.59), washing the car ($5.73), raking leaves ($4.91) and washing windows ($2.13) on the list of top-earning chores, according to research by RoosterMoney: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of Roblox, Lego, books and magazines, and Fortnite on the list of top items on which to spend chore money: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: RoosterMoney.

Percentage of parents who say the COVID-19 pandemic has made them feel less financially prepared to raise their child, according to a survey from Policygenius: 26

In the past year, percentage of parents who said they or their partner either scaled back or quit their job to help with their child's education or child care: 23

Percentage who said they tapped their emergency, retirement or travel savings to pay for extra expenses during the pandemic: 33

Source: Policygenius.

Ranks of Nevada, Utah, the District of Columbia, Arizona, New York and Massachusetts on the list of states facing billions of dollars in losses this year due to the lack of European tourists, according to WalletHub: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of students who say the pandemic has had a "huge" impact on their academic readiness for next year, according to a GENYOUth survey: 33

And when asked what most concerns them one year into the pandemic, percentage of high school seniors who fear losing academic scholarship opportunities: 25

Percentage who say gaining admission to a good college or vocational school: 21

Source: GENYOUth.

Percentage of people who reported always wearing masks outside the home who tested positive for COVID, compared to the 23% of those who said they never wore masks, according to the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index polling data since March 2020: 11

Percentage of people who wore masks at all times who reported getting tested for COVID, compared to 12% of those who never wore them: 30

Source: Ipsos.

Idle Thought

"The mosque is too far from home, so let's do this / Let's make a weeping child laugh." -- Nida Fazli, poet (1938-2016)