Figuratively Speaking

Projected average spending for college students and their families on back-to-college items, according to the annual survey by the National Retail Federation: $1,199

Total expected spending on back-to-college items: $74 billion

Since 2019, growth in total expected spending on back-to-college items, with consumers spending $223 more on average than they were prior to the pandemic: $19 billion

Percentage of this increase that comes from spending on electronics and dorm or apartment furnishings: 50

Source: NRF.

Percentage of U.S. consumers who say they are making fewer impulse purchases in-store because of increased prices, according to a survey by Ipsos: 56

Percentage who still say, however, that they've made an impulse purchase within the past week: 33

Source: Ipsos.

Percentage of teens who say they would like to own a home someday, according to a survey by Junior Achievement USA and Fannie Mae: 88

Percentage who believe "owning a home" is part of "the good life," compared to 87% of adults who say the same, based on Fannie Mae's National Housing Survey: 85

Percentage who thought it would be helpful if schools offered lessons that explained homeownership, including mortgages: 97

Source: Junior Achievement.

Ranks of Nantucket, Massachusetts ($525); Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts ($485); Montauk, New York ($416); Long Beach Island, New Jersey ($384); and Bar Harbor, Maine ($383) on the list of the most expensive places to stay in the United States this summer, according to a survey by CheapHotels.org: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Cheaphotels.org.

Percentage increase in electric vehicle sales over the past year, according to research from Parks Associates: 85

Percentage growth in plug-in hybrid electric vehicle sales in the same period: 138

Source: Parks Associates.

Amount the average American household owes to credit card companies, according to a WalletHub credit cards survey: $8,000

Number of Americans who have tried to get a credit card late fee waived: 118 million

Percentage of people who have tried to get a credit card late fee waived who were successful: 90

Source: WalletHub.

Ranks of emergency savings, not going into debt and having a steady job on the list of the most important financial lessons students have learned from the pandemic, according to CreditCard.com: 1, 2, 3

Source: CreditCards.com.

Among employed Americans, percentage who say that they are looking for a new job or are open to a new one, according to a survey commissioned by Justworks: 66

Percentage of U.S. employees who say that having health insurance that meets their specific needs is important to them when looking for a new job: 78

Percentage who say that they would be willing to sacrifice some pay for better health insurance, if they were looking for a new job: 64

Percentage who say that their company's health insurance offerings impact how much they want to keep working there: 63

Source: Justworks.

Percentage of Americans who say they've seen an increase in aggressive driving during the pandemic, according to a survey by Yougov: 30

Percentage who said they have witnessed incidents of angry driving firsthand during this same time frame: 57

Source: YouGov.

Idle Thought

"People's memories are maybe the fuel they burn to stay alive." -- Haruki Murakami, writer (1949- )

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)