Opinion: Difficulties arise in balancing parental, job duties

Percentage who say they’ve quit jobs to care for their kids: 48

Is that accurate?

Percentage of Americans who said that it is sometimes justified to lie, according to an AP-Ipsos poll: 42

Percentage who said it is never justified: 52

Percentage of respondents who felt it was OK to lie to protect someone’s feelings: 65

Percentage who thought it is OK to exaggerate facts to make a story more interesting: 44

Do it yourself

Percentage of female do-it-yourselfers surveyed who perform landscaping and gardening projects, according to a survey commissioned by Lowe’s: 81

Percentage of women surveyed who would rather mow their lawn and perform outdoor activities: 41

Percentage who prefers sewing and repairing clothes: 14

Credit scores

Percentage of available credit used for people with a credit score of 720 or greater (which is a very good credit rating), according to data from Experian Consumer Direct: 17.8

Percentage of available credit used for people with a credit score less than 660 (which is a poor credit rating): 27.7

Corporate orders

Percentage of store managers who say they feel that retail corporate headquarters assign stores too much work, according to a survey by Forrester and sponsored by StorePerform Technologies Inc.: 62

Vacation or retirement?

Percentage of Americans who say they would be happier saving for a more “financially comfortable” retirement than splurging on an expensive “dream” vacation, according to a recent Money/ICR poll: 64

Percentage who say they prefer the expensive dream vacation: 30

Corporate blogging

Percentage of Fortune 500 companies that have a public blog, according to data from Socialtext: 5.8

Number of companies this equals: 29

Americans say

Percentage of all Americans surveyed who said they would support a decision by America’s youth to get a college degree, according to a national survey conducted by the Sacred Heart University Polling Institute: 94.3

Percentage of respondents who would support a decision to take time off to travel after graduation from high school or college: 68.5

Percentage who would support a decision to join a union at work: 68

Foreign investments

Year that records of foreign direct investment flows began to be officially monitored, according to an announcement by the New York office of U.K. Trade & Investment: 1970

Number of consecutive years the United Kingdom has been the top recipient of U.S. foreign direct investment in Europe: 36

John MacIntyre is an author and former city magazine editor. His Figuratively Speaking column, launched in 1989, is published in more than 40 newspapers and magazines.