Bullets

• The typical American has to reset seven clocks each time that daylight savings time begins or ends.

• Worker cubicles may be as small as 5-by-5 feet in the next few years as companies reduce the size of individual work areas in order to expand "teaming areas."

• Only 8.4% of men and 5.9% of women are self-employed.

• About one out of 12 American adults is currently thinking about starting a new business.

• Americans lose 300 million golf balls each year; 75% of these are recovered and resold.

• Violent content has prompted 68% of adults to leave a movie or turn off the television.

• Over a quarter (27.6%) of full-time workers had flexible schedules during 1997, up from 15.1% in 1991 per the Census Bureau.

• One-half (51%) of Americans rely on natural gas to heat their homes, 27% have electric heat, 10% choose fuel oil, and 3% use wood.

• The percentage of women who decide to shop at a certain retailer because of the service grew from 11% in 1998 to 26% in 2000.

• Six in 10 Americans read the Bible at least occasionally; Psalms, Genesis, Matthew, John and Revelation are their favorite books.

• Americans believe the most important things for children to learn are: thinking for themselves (49%); being obedient (19%); working hard (17%); and helping others (13%).

• More than two-thirds of Americans (68%) of people in 401(k) plans decide to take the lump-sum cash payment when changing jobs, instead of rolling the funds over into their new employer’s plan or into an IRA.

• Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical print advertisements use a variety of emotional tactics to capture readers’ attention. Forty-three percent use appeals to fear, 31% employ humor, 30% emphasize relationships, 8.6% use guilt, and 8.6% contain sexual innuendos.

• More than one-third (37%) of Americans visited an art museum in the past year.

• The average new American home is 50% larger (currently at 2,260 square feet) than it was in 1970; family size has decreased by 20% during this same period.

• There were 4,500 trade shows held in the U.S. during 1999; attendance totaled 102 million people.

• Three in five working mothers have had a stay-at-home mother tell them she “could never let a stranger raise her child” while 72% of stay-at-home mothers have had a working mother tell them she “could never stay at home all day caring for a child.”

• When price and quality are equal, 89% of teenagers (age 12 – 17) are likely to change brands to one that is connected with a good cause. This reflects a 62% increase from 1999.

• Almost three in 10 adults are currently 55 years or older — this does not include any Baby Boomers. Boomers will start turning 55 years old in January 2001.

• Fifty eight percent of women say they do most or all of the household chores while only 35% of men agree.

• Reading hardcopy mail is something that 42% of American’s look forward to “a lot.” In comparison, talking on the telephone is looked forward to by 40%, reading the newspaper by 31%, reading their e-mail by 29%, and watching television by 26%.

• The average bra size for American women increased from 34B in 1991 to 36C today.

• Americans incurred 5.5 million injuries related to summer sports during 1999. The most common injuries were from basketball (1.6 million), bike riding (1.4 million) and baseball (492,832).

• Almost one-half (47%) of college students have used a tobacco product in the last year; 33% are current users.

• Most (83%) Americans prefer to receive a paper greeting card over an e-mailed greeting. Only 9% say they prefer the e-mail.

• Today, 15% of senior adults (age 55+) actively use the Internet. This number is expected to jump to 27% by 2003.

• One-half (50%) of Americans own a cell phone; 29% of the remainder expect to have one within five years. Two-thirds (67%) support a law that would make it illegal to use a cell phone while driving.

• According to Neilsen//Net Ratings, while a larger percentage of higher income households are connected to the Internet, households in the lower income segments spend more time online.

• Over one-half (54%) of consumers think that foods can be used to decrease their use of some drugs and other medical therapies. This opinion is up 10 points since 1992.

• Between 1970 and 1994, Americans increased their food consumption from 3,300 calories per person each day to 3,800 calories.

• Mortality rates for heart disease and stroke have decreased by approximately one-third since 1980; the mortality rate for cancer has only increased slightly.

• Women spend 32% more time online and view 30% more unique pages than men. Women favor web sites related to astrology/horoscope, arts and culture, women, fashion/beauty, and food while men prefer personals, adult, science and technology, sports, and news.

• Only 21% of age 55+ Internet users plan to repeat the experience of purchasing prescription drugs online. This is due to complications with the online drugstores/pharmacies accepting medical insurance.

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