14% sure they would sign a nuptial pact

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Mar 2, 2008 | by John MacIntyre

Percentage of Americans who say they would definitely sign a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement if their spouse or partner asked 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

Source: Ipsos.

Date when old analog TVs that receive "over the airwave" signals will go dark unless consumers get connected to a special set-top converter box, according to the Texas Campaign for the Environment: Feb. 17, 2009

Estimated number of American households that could wake up on that day to find that there's literally nothing on TV: 21 million

Estimated number of new digital TVs that Americans are expected to purchase in 2008, according to the electronics industry: 32 million

Source: Texas Campaign for the Environment.

Percentage of U.S. workers who say drama is the type of movie genre that best describes their workplace, according to a CareerBuilder.com survey: 32

Percentage of workers who said comedy: 28

Percentage of workers who said a horror or a war movie: 6

Source: CareerBuilder

.com.

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

Source: Spherion.

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

Source: In-Stat/MDR.

Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.

Percentage of students in first through eighth grades from across the country who say that 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

Source: Scholastic News.

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 conducted by PNC Wealth Management: 43

Percentage who say they have written succession plans in place that would ease the transition of their business to family or 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

Source: PNC Wealth Management.

Combined projected spending on cosmetic surgery in Europe and the U.S. by 2011, according to a report by 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

Source: Datamonitor.

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)

Source: Harris Interactive.

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

Source: Robert Half Technology.

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

Percentage of U.S. workers who say drama is the type of movie genre that best describes their workplace, according to a CareerBuilder.com survey: 32

Percentage of workers who said comedy: 28

Percentage of workers who said a horror or a war movie: 6