Posted on: Sunday, March 4, 2007
Parents, adult children interdependent
Compiled by John MacIntyre
Of the 29.3 million working adults with at least one living parent, the percentage of this group who are spending an average of $240 per month to cover expenses for their parents, according to a study sponsored by mutual fund company Putnam Investments: 21
Of the 23.5 million working Americans with grown children, percentage who provide their kids with some financial support: 45
Percentage of those supporting their parents financially who said they were "very pleased" to make the sacrifice: 57
Percentage of those parents supporting a grown child who felt the same way: 38
BIAS CONTINUES
Percentage of the workforce who know someone they believe was denied a job, promotion or pay increase because of that individual's race or ethnicity, according to a Hudson survey: 19
Percentage of black workers who believe they know of someone who has been the victim of this sort of discrimination: 46
ON COMPANY TIME
Average number of minutes per day workers estimate they spend attending to personal tasks during work hours, according to a survey developed by OfficeTeam: 36
Average number of minutes per day executives estimate their staff spends attending to personal tasks during work hours: 43
GERMS RULE WORKPLACE
Rank of the phone, keyboard, computer mouse and desktop as the germiest workplace surfaces overall, according to a study funded by the Clorox Co.: 1, 2, 3, 4
Percentage of workers who snack at their desks at least once a day, according to a 2006 American Dietetic Association survey: 57
Percentage of workers who "only occasionally" clean their desks before eating: 75
Percentage who never do: 20
DIGITAL DREAMS
In previous research, the number of components that were believed necessary in setting up an entertainment center (stereo system, a VCR and a television larger than 25 inches), according to a Harris Interactive research study of adult consumers across America that focused on the emerging "digital home": 3
Percentage of U.S. adults who have home networks: 39
Percentage of those with home networks who would like to use their personal computer as a media center to control their entertainment system: 37
INVEST IN SUDS
Rank of beer in the category of growth value, according to findings from ACNielsen's 2006 edition of "What's Hot Around the Globe — Insights on Growth in Food and Beverage Products": 1
Growth value for beer: $4 billion
Growth value for carbonated beverages: $2.8 billion
Growth value for wine: $1.3 billion
TALKING THE MILES AWAY
Percentage of Americans who drive while talking on a cell phone, according to a survey of American drivers from Nationwide Mutual Insurance: 73
Percentage who drive a certain distance without any recollection of doing so: 38
Percentage of those surveyed who believe they are safe drivers: 83
DEPRESSION WORRIES
Percentage of U.S. workers who believe that a person diagnosed with depression in their workplace would most likely keep it to themselves "for fear of hurting their future opportunities," according to the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for The Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health: 77
Percentage who believe that if someone at their work was suffering from depression and missing work because of it, they would be more likely "to get into trouble and maybe even fired": 56
Percentage of workers who indicate they are "unclear about the difference between someone who is depressed versus someone who is just in a sad mood": 31
HELPFUL FOR HILLARY
Percentage of U.S. women who said they would vote for a woman president, according to Oxygen's Presidents Day Survey: 85
Percentage of U.S. men who said they would vote for a woman president: 66
Percentage of U.S. women who think that a female can do as good a job as a male president: 92
Percentage of U.S. men who think that a female can do as good a job as a male president: 73
IDLE THOUGHT
"Many a man thinks he is buying pleasure, when he is really selling himself to it."
— Benjamin Franklin, statesman, author and inventor
