Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of Americans 65 and older who are working, according to a survey by LendingTree: 21.9

Percentage of American adults who say they are retired: 17.4

Source: LendingTree.

With roughly 2.93 billion monthly active users as of the first quarter of 2022, rank of Facebook among the most-used online social networks worldwide, according to Statista: 1

Reaching 2.2 billion active users in 2017, number of years it took Facebook to reach this milestone: 13

Source: Statista.

Regardless of their current relationship status, ranks of "their open-mindedness," "their physical attractiveness" and "their free spirit" on the list of qualities women would consider a benefit in dating or marrying someone 10 or more years younger than themselves, according to a survey conducted for Ruby Life Inc.: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of "they wouldn't have anything in common with a partner so different in age," "they wouldn't be attracted to them" and "their partner wouldn't fit into their social circles" on the list of perceived downsides to age gap dating by both men and women: 1, 2, 3

Source: Ruby Life Inc.

Ranks of Monday and Tuesday as the most productive days of the week, according to a survey by Robert Half: 1, 2

Percentage of workers who say that unnecessary meetings and calls are what most impede their productivity: 35

Percentage who say conversations with colleagues impede their productivity: 25

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of American journalists who say that every side does not always deserve equal coverage in the news, according to a Pew Research Center study: 55

Percentage of the general public who say journalists should always strive to give all sides equal coverage: 76

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

Number of millionaires who will exit China in 2022, according to Henley Global Citizens Report: 10,000

Percentage of China's total millionaire population this represents: 1

Source: Henley Global Citizens Report.

On average across the 26 countries, percentage of adults who said that they had ever started a business, according to a new global Ipsos poll: 31

Percentage of Americans who report having ever started a business, lower than the global average: 23

On average globally, percentage who say they are likely to start a business in the next two years (including only 21% of U.S. respondents): 29

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of men who feel pressure to have a "beach body," according to a survey for ValuePenguin: 34

Percentage of women who feel similar pressure: 50

Source: ValuePenguin.com.

Annually, the number of sunburns reported that require emergency room visits and may occur among people of all racial/ethnic groups, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 33,000-plus

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Percentage of Americans who profess any comfort with their savings now, including 29% who are somewhat comfortable and 13% who are very comfortable, according to research by Bankrate.com: 52

Percentage of Americans who have no emergency savings at all: 23

Source: Bankrate.com.

Idle Thought

"Truth is the only merit that gives dignity and worth to history." -- Lord Acton, historian (1834-1902)

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)