Figuratively Speaking

Number of spam calls (mobile or landline) Americans receive per user per month, with an average of 21.5 of these being robocalls, according to research by Truecaller: 31

Ranks of vehicle warranties, Medicare and money owed for tax or legal fines on the list of the types of robocalls received by Americans: 1, 2, 3

Source: Truecaller.

Percentage of Americans for whom wealth means being a millionaire, according to a survey by LendingTree: 23

Percentage who say you can be wealthy and in debt: 67

Percentage of Americans who think owning a home is the best wealth-building strategy: 27

Source: LendingTree.

Percentage of Americans who say the worst part of the shopping experience is going through the return process, according to a survey commissioned by Slickdeals: 67

Percentage who say they would be willing to do "nearly anything" to avoid returning items they bought: 58

Source: Slickdeals.

Percentage of U.S. journalists who say Twitter is the social media site they use most or second most in their job, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends: 69

Percentage of the general public who say they regularly get news on Twitter: 13

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

Percentage of U.S. workers who said they have not had a pay raise in 12 months, according to a survey by Robert Half: 34

Percentage who said they received a raise but were disappointed with the amount: 16

Percentage who plan to ask for a raise this year: 62

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of Americans who indulge in screen time within an hour before bed or even while in bed, according to the 2022 Sleep in America poll: 58

Number of hours of sleep per night per adult that is recommended by The National Sleep Foundation: 7 to 9

Source: National Sleep Foundation.

Ranks of time management, engaging in self-care, the ability to say "no" and detachment from work when not working on the list of personal factors recent college graduates believe are necessary, according to a survey by BestColleges: 1, 2, 3, 4

While 63% of graduates say the pandemic had an impact on their original educational and/or career intentions, percentage who are still confident in their post-graduation plans: 65

Source: BestColleges.

Percentage of office workers who say dealing with technology issues related to collaborating with others has negatively impacted their productivity, according to a survey conducted on behalf of Fusion Connect: 31

Percentage of fully remote workers, along with 38% of hybrid workers, who report a negative impact on productivity by technology issues, significantly more than the 23% of onsite workers who say the same: 39

Source: Fusion Connect.

When asked to prioritize boosting emergency savings and paying down debt, percentage of Americans who pointed to boosting emergency savings, according to research by Bankrate.com: 50

Percentage who pointed to paying down debt: 32

Percentage who said both receive equal prioritization simultaneously: 4

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of people who don't realize foreign fees can apply without foreign travel -- that they can also apply to purchases made through foreign merchants while in the U.S., according to a survey by WalletHub: 70

Percentage who don't know if their credit card has a foreign transaction fee: 41

Percentage who don't know that using a credit card gets them the best exchange rate when traveling abroad: 79

Source: WalletHub.

Idle Thought

"It is the ability to take a joke, not make one, that proves you have a sense of humor." -- Max Eastman, journalist and poet (1883-1969)

Percentage of Gen Zers who believe they'll become wealthy one day, making them the most financially optimistic generation, according to a survey by LendingTree: 72

Percentage of Americans overall who think they'll be wealthy in their lifetime: 44

Source: LendingTree.

Rank of the U.S. among the top-10 countries globally in terms of net inflows and outflows of millionaires projected for 2022, according to a forecast on high-net-worth-individual figures published by Henley Global Citizens Report: 6

Ranks of the UAE, Australia, Singapore and Israel with the largest net inflow of HNWI in 2022: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Henley Global Citizens Report.

Percentage of Americans who admitted they shop online while inebriated, according to a survey commissioned by Slickdeals: 60

Percentage of drunk shoppers who said they bought something "dumb or frivolous": 83

Source: Slickdeals.

Percentage of men who have put off seeing a doctor until their symptoms were urgent, according to a study by MDVIP: 40

Percentage who avoided the doctor altogether out of fear of finding something wrong: 30

Percentage of men who have gone to the doctor because their spouse/partner insisted on it: 45

Source: MDVIP Media Relations.

Number of people worldwide who live on insufficient incomes, according to Gallup: 2 billion

Number that are so unhappy about where they live that they wouldn't recommend it to anyone: 2 billion

Source: Gallup Organization.

Before the Second World War, percentage of engagement rings that had a diamond in them, according to the London Review of Books: 20

By the end of the 20th century, percentage of engagement rings that had a diamond in them: 80

Source: London Review of Books.

Percentage of people across 19 countries who say China's influence on the world stage is growing, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends: 66

Percentage who say the same about the U.S.: 32

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

Percentage of consumers who are most interested in earning cash-back rewards, topping rewards points and miles by a wide margin, according to WalletHub: 79

Percentage of people who go out of their way to spend money with companies that give them extra credit card rewards: 57

Source: WalletHub.

Number of women who signed up for sports betting apps in 2021, according to Maximbet: 4.6 million

Percentage increase that represents over 2021: 115

Source: Pitch Public Relations.

Percentage of consumers who say they like when brands use humor, according to a survey from Ipsos: 81

Percentage who say only a few brands connect with their comedic sensibilities: 28

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Idle Thought

"An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, prisoner of style, prisoner of reputation, prisoner of success, etc." -- Henri Matisse, artist (1869-1954)

While 60% of unmarried men would be open to dating someone 10-plus years older than them, percentage of unmarried women who would be open to dating someone 10-plus years younger, according to a survey conducted for Ruby Life Inc.: 40

Regardless of their current relationship status, ranks of open-mindedness, physical attractiveness and their free spirit on the list of qualities women would consider a benefit of dating or marrying someone 10-plus years younger than themselves: 1, 2, 3

Source: Ruby Life Inc.

Percentage of working adults who say they expect an annual pay increase from their employer, according to a survey by CareerBuilder: 89

Percentage who are looking for a raise of at least 5%: 46

Percentage who expect a yearly raise of 10% or more each year: 16

Percentage of employed adults who must work more than one job in order to make ends meet, including 66% of millennials, 57% of men and 49% of women: 53

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of Americans who don't know what they're having for dinner, according to poll conducted on behalf of Omaha Steaks: 62

Percentage who say they let their cravings decide what they'll eat: 73

Percentage of Americans who say grilling helps them unwind after a long day: 66

Source: Omaha Steaks.

Percentage of Americans who say that personal data they have provided online has been compromised, according to an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Google: 37

Among those that have had their data breached, percentage who changed their passwords after the breach: 92

Percentage of Americans who say that it is more important to them to create a password that is strong and secure, compared to only 39% who prioritize creating a password that is easy to remember: 58

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of diners who have gotten carryout in the past three months, according to research from Acosta: 48

Percentage who have ordered delivery: 75

Source: Acosta.

Average daily hotel price in the U.S. between March 1 and March 26 of this year, according to the travel research firm STR: $147.14

Average price in 2021: $105

Source: American Resort Development Association.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, percentage of all employees who report feeling more pressure to perform well, according to research from Eagle Hill Consulting: 66

Percentage of workers who say they feel more supported by their supervisor than they did before the pandemic: 68

Percentage who say they feel more recognized for a job well done: 69

Source: Eagle Hill Consulting.

Global economic impact of violence in 2021, according to the 16th edition of the Global Peace Index from the international think-tank the Institute for Economics and Peace, equivalent to 10.9% of global GDP, or $2,117 per person: $16.5 trillion

Rank of Iceland on the list of the most peaceful countries -- a position it has held since 2008: 1

Ranks of New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark and Austria on the list: 2, 3, 4, 5

Rank of Afghanistan on the list of the least peaceful countries, followed by Yemen, Syria, Russia and South Sudan: 1

Source: Institute of Economics and Peace.

Ranks of "better explanations for how much income your savings will produce in retirement," "investment options that provide guaranteed lifetime income" and "better explanations for whether you are on track with your retirement savings" on the list of participants' most valued improvements in workplace retirement plans, according to a survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute: 1, 2, 3

Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Percentage of the workers surveyed who are aware of the importance of data in decision-making, according to a survey by Alteryx Inc.: 29

Percentage who say their entire organization has access to data: 25

Percentage who say they have the tools they need to make data-driven decisions: 33

Source: Alteryx Inc.

Idle Thought

"If we would have new knowledge, we must get us a whole world of new questions." -- Susanne Langer, philosopher (1895-1985)