Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of consumers who say the coronavirus pandemic strengthened their loyalty to small businesses, according to a survey by LendingTree: 63

Percentage of Americans who know a small business in their community that permanently closed due to the pandemic: 63

Percentage of Americans who believe online retailers like Amazon hurt local businesses: 57

Source: LendingTree.

Of those who participate in a Secret Santa gift exchange, percentage who said they hate being roped into it because they never know what to get their designated exchangee, according to a survey by Slickdeals: 79

Percentage who admit they re-gift the items they've received from past Secret Santa exchanges: 89

Source: Slickdeals.

Percentage of people who previously bought artificial Christmas trees and switched to a real tree last year who wish they had made the change sooner, according to a survey by Christmas Tree Promotion Board: 89

Percentage of Americans planning to buy a real Christmas tree this year who point to its natural scent and the experience of decorating it as their favorite aspects of having a real tree: 54

Ranks of the first week of December and post-Thanksgiving weekend on the list of the most popular times they plan to buy a real tree: 1, 2

Source: Christmas Tree Promotion Board.

Current national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gas, according to AAA: $3.41

Average swipe fee percentage that banks charge merchants to process Visa and Mastercard credit card transactions, according to the Merchants Payments Coalition: 2.22

Swipe fee for a 10-gallon fill-up: 75 cents

Amount gas stations paid in swipe fees in 2020: $10.7 billion

Estimated amount that will be paid in 2021: $12.5 billion

Source: Merchants Payments Coalition.

Percentage of Americans who plan to send holiday cards or give personalized mementos and gifts to connect with family and friends this holiday season, according to a Shutterfly poll conducted by Ipsos: 44

Among those planning to send cards this year, percentage who will send traditional holiday messages: 63

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of Americans who are likely to travel for Christmas this year, up 24% over 2020, according to a survey commissioned by the American Hotel and Lodging Association: 33

Percentage of those who will be driving: 64

Source: American Hotel and Lodging Association.

Rank of the U.S. as the country most hit by ransomware in 2020 and 2021, according to data from Nordlocker: 1

Percentage of companies worldwide that became victims of ransomware: 37

Source: Nordlocker.

Percentage of holiday shoppers who expect to make most of their purchases using a debit card, according to a CreditCards.com report: 42

Percentage who said they will use credit cards: 38

Percentage who said they will use cash: 15

Percentage who cited buy now pay later services: 5

Source: CreditCards.com.

Percentage of Americans who say product images influence their purchases of consumer packaged goods, while 74% say images in search results are very or extremely helpful in determining which products to buy, according to a survey commissioned by NCSolutions: 49

Percentage of Americans who think it's extremely important to see an image of what a meal or dish will look like when it's fully prepared: 45

Source: NCSolutions.

Idle Thought

"The business of the poet and the novelist is to show the sorriness underlying the grandest things and the grandeur underlying the sorriest things." -- Thomas Hardy, novelist and poet (1840-1928)

When asked about their current emotional state, percentage of Americans who feel a sense of gratitude/thankfulness, according to the second wave of a landmark study on gratitude conducted by UC Davis and Gracianna Winery: 87

Percentage who feel happy: 85

Percentage who are optimistic: 75

Source: Gracianna Winery.

Percentage of Americans who plan to cook the same amount or more this holiday season, according to a survey from NCSolutions: 90

Percentage who say they plan to spend the same amount of money or more on their holiday meals: 83

Ranks of turkey, the perennial favorite Thanksgiving staple, mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing/dressing, on the list of favorite holiday foods: 1 (tie), 3 (tie)

Source: NCSolutions.

As the second pandemic Thanksgiving approaches, percentage of Americans who expect to celebrate big this year, either by traveling or hosting a big group, according to new data from the Ipsos Coronavirus Consumer Tracker: 49

Percentage who plan to travel by plane to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends or family: 6

Percentage who say they expect all people who attend their celebration to be vaccinated: 54

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of U.S. workers who say the pandemic has triggered a reevaluation of their personal priorities, according to a survey by Eagle Hill Consulting: 51

Source: Eagle Hill Consulting.

Percentage of college students who agree that it is important to love what you do for a living, according to a survey by BestColleges: 86

Percentage who say it is important to love what you are studying: 83

Percentage of undergraduates who say they are currently pursuing their passions: 40

Source: BestColleges.

Percentage of people who are forgoing holiday gifts this year due to COVID, according to a WalletHub survey: 25

Percentage of Americans who still have credit card debt from last holiday season: 18

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage increase in spending on experiences, which includes entertaining at home and socializing away from home, accounting for more than one-third of holiday spending (up to $536 per household), according to a survey by Deloitte: 15

Projected spending on gifts per household, an increase of 3% since 2020, while non-gift purchases will total $426 per household: $501

Source: Deloitte.

Percentage of Americans who don't visit the doctor for yearly checkups, according to a survey by LendingTree: 53

Percentage of Americans who don't get at least seven hours sleep a night: 55

Percentage who don't eat enough vegetables: 66

Percentage who don't get enough physical exercise: 70

Source: LendingTree.

Percentage of Americans with consumer debt who say they expect to pay it off in one to five years, according to a survey by Northwestern Mutual: 46

Percentage who expect to pay it off in six to 10 years: 20

Percentage who said 11 to 20 years: 14

Percentage who said the rest of their lives: 9

Source: Northwestern Mutual.

Percentage of Gen Z workers who have worked from somewhere other than their home for an extended period, according to a survey from Bankrate: 18

Percentage of millennial workers who have done the same: 14

Source: CreditCards.com.

Idle Thought

"Vocations which we wanted to pursue, but didn't, bleed, like colors, on the whole of our existence." -- Honore de Balzac, novelist (1799-1850)

Percentage of internet economy jobs that were created by small firms and self-employed individuals, compared to 34% of internet economy jobs created by the largest internet companies: 38

Number of full-time equivalent jobs in the online creator economy -- just short of the combined memberships of craft and labor unions Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (160,000), the American Federation of Musicians (80,000), the Writers Guild (24,000) and the Authors Guild (9,000): 200,000

Source: Interactive Advertising Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who say the 1980s produced the best music, followed by the '70s and the '90s, according to an Ipsos poll: 40

Rank of rock, pop and country on the list of the top most-preferred genres to listen to: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of Americans who still use FM radio on a regular basis to listen to music: 55

Percentage who use streaming services such as Spotify or Apple Music: 38

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Ranks of relaxation, pain management, sleep aid, health and wellness, and recreation on the list of reasons Americans give for their consumption of cannabis, according to a survey by Azuka: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

While adult-use cannabis is now legal in over 18 states, percentage of Americans who report they have never consumed cannabis: 50

Percentage who say they would still purchase products at a dispensary even if it was more expensive than the black market: 60

Source: Azuca.

Among U.S. adults, percentage who say they use Facebook several times a day, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults: 49

Percentage who say they use Snapchat several times a day: 45

Percentage who say they use Instagram several times a day: 38

Percentage who say they use YouTube several times a day: 36

Percentage who say they use Twitter several times a day: 30

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

Percentage of shoppers who say they have recently eaten carryout, dined at a restaurant and/or eaten prepared foods from the grocery store, according to a survey by Acosta: 75

Percentage of shoppers who say they have recently ordered from a food truck: 28

Percentage who have recently ordered from a pop-up restaurant: 23

Percentage who have recently ordered from a ghost kitchen: 19

Source: Acosta.

Number of years that Butterball has staffed its Turkey Talk-Line with experts to answer all turkey-related questions throughout the holidays, according to research by Genesys: 37

Source: Genesys.

Ranks of flexibility, the ability to work remotely, better compensation and better management on the list of reasons job-changers were attracted to their new position, according to a survey by Limeade: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of job changers who received a 10 to 19% salary increase: 29

Percentage who took a pay cut for their new position: 13

Source: Limeade.

Percentage of shoppers who anticipate making the bulk of their purchases on Black Friday this year, according to a survey by Klarna Bank: 49

Percentage of shoppers who say they'll make the majority of their Black Friday purchases online, compared to 23% who will shop mostly in-store: 56

Source: Klarna Bank.

Percentage of commercial time that is already sold and many advertisers are now moving forward to produce this year's crop of Super Bowl ads, according to research by the Marketing Arm: 90

Percentage of people who watch the big game for the commercials: 43

Percentage of women who are more likely to watch it for the ads: 60

Source: The Marketing Arm.

Of social media users who were asked to assess their critical-thinking skills, percentage who reported their critical-thinking skills had improved since high school: 50

When asked about their support for teaching critical thinking in schools, percentage who noted the importance of teaching critical-thinking skills and thought critical-thinking courses should be required at the K-12 level: 95

Source: REBOOT.

Idle Thought

"A change in perspective is worth 80 IQ points." -- Alan Kay, computer scientist (1940- )