Bill Gates's net worth ($46 billion) is larger than that of the bottom 40 per cent of American households combined ($37.8 billion, excluding their cars). [Robert Reich, The American Prospect, May-June 1998]
In the four weeks prior to being interviewed, 71 per cent of British women had read a book compared to 58 per cent of men. [1996 General Household Survey]
In 1980 a typical supermarket stocked 10,000 items; today the
figure is about 30,000. [Chatham House Forum 1997 Report]
Of all British smokers, 15 per cent have their first cigarette within five minutes of waking, and one third within 15 minutes. [1996 General Household Survey]
In Bangkok, the average motorist spends the equivalent of 40 days
in traffic jams. [State of the World 1998, Earthscan]
One fifth of the world's bluebells grow in the British Isles. [The Guardian, 14th April 1998]
In 1996, more than 46,000 Turks became German nationals, compared to 2,000 in 1990. In Berlin one quarter of 40,000 requests were accepted. [Der Spiegel]
Only 31 per cent of Christian activists in the US believe that a person can be both a good Christian and a liberal. [Institute for First Amendment Studies]
Only 11 per cent of Britons believe that "a celebration of Christianity" would be a good way to spend money as part of the
millennium celebrations. [Mori, 20th February 1998]
