Figuratively Speaking

Number of smart tags, which consumers use to track valuables, pets and even other people, that will be sold in the U.S. by 2027, an increase from almost 16 million in 2022, according to Parks Associates: 95 million

Percentage of current smart tag owners who reported using the device to track another person without that person's knowledge: 32

Source: Parks Associates.

With almost 3 billion monthly active users on Facebook worldwide, rank of India (with almost 330 million users) on the list of Facebook's leading audiences by nation: 1

Approximate number of users Facebook has in the U.S. -- for second place on the list: 180 million

Source: Statista.

Percentage of Americans who say they are trying to lose weight or get fit, according to a survey by Value Penguin: 46

Percentage who are trying to maintain their current weight and/or level of fitness: 27

Source: ValuePenguin.com.

Percentage of professionals who say they are equally productive in the home or in the office, according to a survey by Robert Half: 21

Percentage who say they are more productive at home: 35

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of American journalists who say made-up news and information is a very big problem for the country, according to a survey by Pew Research: 71

Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Percentage of consumers who said they are cutting back in other spending areas to cover the cost of items for the upcoming school year, according to the annual survey by the National Retail Federation: 38

Total back-to-school spending: $37 billion

Projected total back-to-college spending, up from last year's record of $71 billion and the highest in the survey's history: $74 billion

Source: NRF.

Percentage of workers who report that they receive feedback on annual or semi-annual basis, while 8% say they never receive feedback on their work, according to research from Eagle Hill Consulting: 48

Percentage who want more immediate "in the moment" feedback on their work performance: 63

Percentage of hybrid workers who said getting feedback was a challenge, while 21% of fully remote and 19% of in-person workers reported feedback as a challenge: 38

Source: Eagle Hill Consulting.

Percentage of Americans who agree climate change will alter important aspects of life in the U.S., such as agriculture, according to a poll conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the Walton Family Foundation: 76

Percentage of Americans who are worried about climate change and water scarcity: 73

Source: Walton Family Foundation.

Percentage of parents who say their child's education is worth going into debt for, according to a WalletHub's 2022 back-to-school report: 70

Percentage who think financial literacy should be part of the core curriculum: 68

Percentage who think all school districts should get the same amount of funding per student: 80

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of currently enrolled undergraduate students who say they had plans to study abroad but were unable to due to circumstances caused by COVID-19, according to a survey from Bestcolleges.com: 29

Percentage who believe participating in a study abroad program is only feasible for the privileged: 49

Of the 71% of college students did not have plans to study abroad, percentage who said their top reason for not participating was cost: 53

Source: BestColleges.

Idle Thought

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." -- William James, psychologist (1842-1910)

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)