Posted on: Sunday, February 1, 2009
Adjusting to new economic reality
By John MacIntyre
When asked if their company experimented in 2008 with alternatives to travel, the percentage of business travelers who said they had tried video conferencing, according to a survey by Orbitz: 50%
Percentage of business travelers who say they don't consider video conferencing as productive as an in-person meeting: 85%
HAPPY TO STAY PUT
Among employed workers who will not be job hunting in 2009, the percentage who said that happiness at their current position is their No. 1 motivation to stay put, according to a poll commissioned by http://www.SnagAJob.com: 65%
Of those who plan on looking for a new job, percentage who said their greatest motivation is fear of layoffs: 19%
Among salaried workers who plan to be on the hunt, percentage who said they are motivated by layoffs: 30%
DRIVING DIFFERENTLY
Percentage of Americans who report adjusting their driving habits in significant ways in response to surging gas prices early last year, according to a Gallup Poll: 64%
Percentage who have reverted to their old habits as prices at the pump plunged: 12%
IN DRIVER'S SEAT
When car shopping, percentage of women surveyed who negotiated the lease or purchase themselves, according a survey commissioned by Automall Network: 55%
Percentage who felt they'd gotten the dealer's best price: 49%
Percentage who felt they'd been treated unfairly as a female: 53%
Percentage of women surveyed who said using a professional service to conduct the negotiations would save them money: 81%
STRESSED OUT
Percentage of Americans who say the economic downturn is heaping more stress on their family, according to a Country Financial survey: 75%
Percentage who say it has sparked more arguments with their spouse or children: 33%
FOREIGN INVESTORS
Ranks of Washington, D.C., London and New York as top global cities for foreign investors' real estate dollars, according to a survey of members of the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison: 1, 2, 3
Number of the world's top 10 investment cities that are in the U.S.: 5
Ranks of the U.S., Brazil, China, the U.K. and India in providing the best opportunity for capital appreciation, according to an AFIRE vote : 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
OBAMA OPTIMISM
Percentage of U.S. workers who feel that Barack Obama's presidency will be good for the job market, according to a survey by Adecco: 67%
IDLE THOUGHT
"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions."
— Albert Einstein
Contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.
