May and June 2011

• Some 43% of shoppers say they always rely on a shopping list. Married shoppers (52%), women (46%), and Whites (46%) are more likely than the average American to shop with a list, while Hispanics (37%), singles (35%) and Millennials (32%) are less likely. One third (34%( make lists based on recipes and 31% use recommendations from family or friends.
• Some 34% of North Americans say they visit social networking sites because they receive an email to their personal address. In comparison, only 4% do so after getting an SMS text message, a direct mailing (2%), an email to their work account (2%), or a telephone call (1%).
• When on a road trip, 60% of moms say they sing songs with their children in the car to keep them occupied and entertained.
• The most popular martini flavor in restaurants is apple (38%), followed by chocolate (24%), lime (23%), and cranberry (19%).
• Most Hispanic women (81%) say they want personal care products to have more bilingual text on the packaging, not because they do not read English well, but because it is a statement from the manufacturer that they consider them a vital market.
• Almost one-half of adults (47%) have sent a text message while driving compared to 34% of teens aged 16-17.
• About 45% of people have blocked or defriended a person on a social network because of uncivil comments or behavior.
• Nine in 10 (91%) of coupled adults find excuses to avoid talking about money with their partners. Fewer than one-half (43%) discussed money prior to marriage; that proportion rises to 57% for affluent couples. Only 12% have never discussed money with their partner.
• Men are more likely than women to initiate contact with a prospective mate via online dating. Men also respond faster, taking an average of 16 hours to reply to a woman’s online dating “wink,” while women take an average of 19 hours to respond.
• Most pet owners (61%) traveled with their pet during the past year, with 5% saying they always bring their pet along on trips.
• Twitter users are more likely than average to write a blog (+506%); upload a video to a website (+451%); and post a comment or review on a blog, online forum or message board (+315%); They are also more likely to be a published author (+209%) and attend a political speech, rally or organized protest (+103%).
• Daily consumer spending in the U.S. during October 2010 was $62, down from $91 in October 2008.
• Americans’ savings rate (as a percentage of disposable income) rose from 2.1% in October of 2007 to 5.7% in October of 2010.
• Some 31% of Americans own four or more TV sets. Adults over 65 years old watch TV for 48.9 hours per week, average Americans watch 35.6 hours per week and children ages 2-11 watch 25.8 hours per week.
• Some 75% of Americans say they would rearrange plans ? such as a wedding, first day on the job or moving into a new home ? to avoid having it fall on Friday the 13th.

Advertising

• A majority of online Americans read an online newspaper, with those page views making up 1% of total Internet traffic.
• In 2008, there were almost 78 million Baby Boomers, accounting for approximately 25% of the American population. By 2030, this will drop to 63 million Baby Boomers, accounting for 17% of the population.
• Boomers currently spend more than the average shopper per trip at certain types of stores including Walmart (+$45.86); grocery stores (+27.39); and drug stores (+$32.71).
• Seven in 10 online Americans say that Internet advertisements are annoying, but 55% say they would rather see the ads than pay for online content.
• Of the 48% of Americans who have received a text message for a product or service, 29% report purchasing the advertised item.
• Some 25% of TV advertisements recorded on a DVR are viewed.
• Thirty-one percent of mobile phone subscribers own smart phones.
• Women talk 818 minutes and send/receive 716 texts per month, compared to men who talk 640 minutes and send/receive 555 texts per month.
• Six in 10 college students (60%) use their personal computers more than their televisions for entertainment.
• More than one-half of online Americans (54%) have used a mobile device to act upon an email they received while using their desktop personal computer.
• U.S. mobile ad spending is expected to break the $1 billion mark this year, up 48% from $743.1 million in 2010. This estimate includes display (banner, rich media and video), search and messaging-based advertising.
• Total print and online newspaper advertising dropped to $25.8 billion in 2010, a 6.3% drop compared with the prior year. Print advertising revenue fell to $22.8 billion, a decrease of 8.2% over the same period.

Healthcare

• While 27% of pet owners say that medical insurance for pets is a good way to save on veterinarian bills, only 5% have medical insurance for their animals.
• The most common keepsake from a pregnancy is the ultrasound photo, saved by 88% of moms. Some 74% save items from the delivery including wristbands, blankets, and the baby’s first footprint. One-quarter (25%) save their pregnancy tests.
• A majority of critically ill patients (57%) are taken by ambulance to an emergency room. Those with Medicare coverage are three times as likely as those with private insurance to arrive by ambulance.
• Women dye their hair to make themselves feel more attractive (72%), more confident (69%), feel sexier (49%) and/or more youthful (42%).
• People most commonly assume that those with red eyes are tired (71%), but 42% say they look sick, and 38% think they look hungover.
• Community health centers (primary-care healthcare facilities for low-income people in underserved areas) serve 20 million people every year. That number is expected to double by 2015, due to federal funding. There are currently 50 million uninsured people in the U.S., up from 47 million in 2010.
• Federal sales taxes on the sale of firearms and ammunition jumped from $287 million in 2007 to $453 million in 2009. At the same time, the number of militias in the U.S. rose sharply from 42 in 2007 to reach 127 in 2009.
• One-third of Americans (30%) have gone on 20 or more diets in their lives, attempting an average of five different dieting strategies or programs.
• Nine in 10 adults (90%) believe that the paint color of a room affects the mood of those in their household; 45% say that a fresh coat of paint provides the greatest revitalization to a room.
• Some 80% of parents say they are not worried about childhood obesity affecting their own children, but 66% are worried about the issue at a national level.
• The daily intake of diet soda increases the risk of vascular events by 61%, per the American Stroke Association. In addition, zero calorie sweeteners like saccharin and aspartame come with risks including a link with bladder cancer, brain tumors, and osteoporosis.

Business to Business

• A weak handshake (cited by 26% of hiring managers) is less likely than poor eye contact (67%) or bad posture (33%) to adversely affect their decision to hire someone.
• Some 75% of Americans expect to rely on Social Security for at least part of their retirement income, and 50% say they are willing to pay more in payroll taxes to ensure the program will continue.
• Just about all workplace safety officials (98%) say they have witnessed workers not wearing required protective gear while on the job; workers most often say the reason is that the gear is uncomfortable.
• As of September 2010, only 1% of U.S. mobile phone owners and 5% of smartphone owners had used a 2D barcode (also called QR – quick response – codes) scanner in the previous three months.

Energy

• During the past 12 years, humans have created more plastics than were created in the entire 20th century.
• The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that only 13% of the electrical sockets in America have been filled with compact fluorescent light bulbs, which is significantly less than the self-reported 77%.
• Women are 14% more likely than men to select environmentally-friendly packaging  over conventional alternatives, per a recent Thomson Reuters World IP Today report.
• Coal will continue to be the main energy source for electricity production through 2035, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The mix of electricity-generating sources will change significantly by 2035 — with natural gas rising 37% and renewable rising 73% — coal’s share of the energy mix will drop only slightly from 45% to 43%.
• Nuclear power provides about 14% of the world’s electricity, almost 24% of electricity in OECD countries, and 34% in the European Union. OECD stands for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development