Posted on: Sunday, March 2, 2008
Most Americans iffy about signing a prenup agreement
Compiled by John MacIntyre
Percentage of Americans who say they would definitely sign a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement if their spouse or partner asks them to, according to a survey by Thomson West: 14
Percentage who said they might sign one: 27
Percentage who said probably not: 21
Percentage who said definitely not: 20
TWILIGHT OF ANALOG TV
Date when old analog TVs that receive "over the airwaves" signals will go dark unless consumers get connected to a special set-top converter box: Feb. 17, 2009
Estimated number of American households that could wake up on that day to find that there's literally nothing on TV, according to the Texas Campaign for the Environment: 21 million
Estimated number of new digital TVs that Americans are expected to purchase in 2008, according to the electronics industry: 32 million
OH, THAT DAILY DRAMA
Percentage of U.S. workers who say drama is the movie genre that best describes their workplace, according to a www.CareerBuilder.com survey: 32
Percentage of workers who said comedy: 28
Percentage of workers who said a horror or war movie: 6
PLACE YOUR BETS
Percentage of people who would consider participating in an office betting pool, according to a Spherion Workplace survey: 44
Percentage of respondents who named office camaraderie as the main reason for participation: 49
BE PRESIDENT? NO WAY
Percentage of students in first through eighth grades from across the country who say they would not want to be president of the United States, according to an election-year poll by Scholastic News: 55
Percentage of boy respondents who said yes to being president: 66
Percentage of girl respondents who said yes to being president: 19
WEALTHY AND WORKING
Percentage of wealthy business owners who say they enjoy their work so much that they want to work until age 70 or later, according to a survey by PNC Wealth Management: 43
Percentage who say they have put written succession plans in place to ease the transition of their business to family or to other business associates: 33
Percentage who strongly or somewhat agree with the statement, "I will continue to work, no matter how much money I have": 61
NIPPING AND TUCKING
Combined projected spending on cosmetic surgery in Europe and the U.S. by 2011, according to Datamonitor, an independent market analyst: $28 billion
Percentage of women in Europe and the U.S. who have considered cosmetic surgery: 20 to 30
Percentage who cited body shape as a major concern: 73
Percentage of consumers in Europe and the U.S. who are concerned about the signs of aging: 50
BEING RESOLUTE
Percentage of U.S. adults who say they made at least one New Year's resolution for 2008, according to a Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll: 39
Ranks of exercising more frequently (23 percent), losing weight (22 percent), eating a healthier diet or less food (21 percent), getting more sleep (12 percent), stopping smoking (5 percent) and participating in stress-relief activities as the most popular resolutions of 2008: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (tie)
STAYING CONNECTED
Percentage of business travelers who say they take more than one cell phone, laptop or electronic device with them on business trips, according to a survey conducted by In-Stat: 31
Percentage of business travelers who say they take more than one cell phone on business trips: 15
TECH STAFFING
Percentage of chief information officers who consider finding skilled technology professionals to be their greatest challenge, according to a survey by Robert Half Technology: 24
Percentage who say providing staff with adequate professional development resources to keep skills current is the greatest challenge: 23
IDLE THOUGHT
"Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives."
— William James, psychologist and philosopher
Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.
