Posted on: Sunday, May 11, 2008
'Financial strain' big threat for families
Compiled by John MacIntyre
Percentage of women who cite "financial strain" as a major threat to the American family, according to findings of a nationwide survey by Meredith Corp. and NBC Universal: 68
Percentage who also cite "divorce" as a major threat: 48
Percentage who also cite "loss of faith/spirituality": 47
CRIMINALS ON THE JOB
Percentage of employment screenings in 2007 that turned up criminal record convictions, or "hits," according to a study conducted by Kroll: 9.5
Ranks of construction, automotive and retail among the industries with the highest criminal record hit ratios in 2007: 1, 2, 3
HOME OWNERSHIP
Percentage of Americans who say the dream to own a home is still attainable for most citizens, according to a survey conducted by Zogby International: 51
Percentage of Americans who say they spend more than 30 percent of their household budget on housing, which according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development indicates that they are "cost burdened": 43
LOSS OF FREE TIME
Percentage of Americans who said they don't feel like they have the free time in the evenings that they had five years ago, according to a survey conducted by StrategyOne for Listerine Antiseptic: 55
Percentage who agree that Americans are working longer days than ever before: 80
PITFALLS OF PIRACY
Annual cost of global piracy to the U.S. economy, according to "The True Cost of Copyright Industry Piracy to the U.S. Economy" study conducted for the Institute for Policy Innovation: $58 billion
Estimated cost in jobs lost: 375,000
Cost in lost annual earnings: $16.3 billion
Cost in lost tax revenue: $2.6 billion
WORRY-FREE WIRELESS
Percentage of employees who feel more relaxed than stressed when they are connected to work by a wireless device, according to Yahoo! HotJobs' annual virtual workplace survey: 37
Percentage who are altogether indifferent to their wireless device, feeling neither relaxed nor stressed by it: 42
MOVING ON
Percentage of employees who say they left their jobs to seek new challenges or opportunities that were lacking with their previous employers, according to a study by Buchanan Public Relations: 30
Percentage of respondents who reported leaving employers because of ineffective leadership: 25
Percentage who cited poor relationships with their managers: 22
TRAVEL INDUSTRY
Percentage of all U.S. nonfarm jobs that are in the U.S. travel economy, according to Travel Industry Association of America data: 12.5
Number of jobs this represents: 7.5 million
Percentage of the U.S. total gross domestic product that is attributable to the travel industry: 3
VALUABLE MLB TEAMS
Average net worth of a Major League Baseball team in 2008, according to a study conducted by Forbes: $472 million
Net worth of the New York Yankees, the most valuable MLB team: $1.3 billion
Ranks of the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers as the next most valuable teams: 2, 3, 4
BUYING FOR MOM
Estimated value of all U.S. consumer spending for Mother's Day in 2008, according to a study conducted by the National Retail Federation and BIGresearch: $15.8 billion
Percentage of consumers celebrating Mother's Day who say they will purchase one major gift for their mother rather than several smaller gifts: 84.2
Ranks of special dinner or brunch, jewelry, gift cards/gift certificates, flowers, and clothing and accessories among the most popular Mother's Day gifts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
IDLE THOUGHT
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
— Abraham Lincoln
Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca
