It’ll be worth it, one day: Our friends at YouGov have released the results of a fascinating survey run in March which asked more than 33,000 American adults whether they would rather have a low-paying job that they loved, or a high-paying job that they hated.⁠ ⁠ Interestingly, nearly twice as many people said they would prefer to enjoy the work they did, even if it didn’t pay well, rather than the other way around — though not every generation agreed.⁠ ⁠ Youth, wasted on the young?⁠ ⁠ Across the age groups a clear trend emerged. Younger generations were more evenly split than their older counterparts — a whopping 39% of 18-25 year-olds surveyed said they would suffer along in a job they hated, as long as it paid enough. Older respondents, particularly those at or near retirement ages, were 4-5x as likely to say they would rather enjoy their work, irrespective of pay.⁠ ⁠ #dataviz #work #career

Sandwich artists: Sandwich specialist Subway is exploring a sale, eyeing a deal that the Wall Street Journal reports could value the chain north of $10bn.⁠ ⁠ The news comes at a time when Subway’s business is looking fresh, having reportedly posted record sales in 2021 and 2022, after roughly a decade of stagnation.⁠ ⁠ Subway started life in 1965 as Pete’s Super Submarines in Connecticut, co-founded by then 17-year-old Fred DeLuca and family friend Peter Buck, who loaned DeLuca $1,000 to start the business to try and pay college tuition. Running each store themselves, the pair successfully opened 16 shops in less than a decade, but things were taken to the next level when they began franchising in 1974.⁠ ⁠ Sub counts⁠ ⁠ Since then, Subway has managed the brand carefully, positioning the chain as a healthier alternative. That branding, combined with a lean franchise model, propelled Subway towards the top of the franchise food chain — meaning that any potential acquirer will get a company with more than 21,000 sites in America (per QSR), 30% more than second-place Starbucks.⁠ ⁠ Indeed, setting up a Subway franchise reportedly costs somewhere between $100k-250k, a fraction of what’s needed to set up a McDonald’s equivalent where costs can exceed $2 million.⁠ ⁠ However, although each store requires a lower upfront cost, they also sell less. A typical Subway pulls in a relatively-meager ~$440k of sales-per-store, the second-lowest in the QSR 50. Low costs also mean that Subway stores pop-up constantly, which means franchisees can find themselves “eating from opposite ends of the same sandwich”, hurting sales for both.⁠ ⁠ #dataviz #subway #fastfood

What’s in a name? The Social Security Administration published its annual list of the most common baby names in the US, and a couple of familiar monikers clinched the top spots in 2022. For boys, Liam has topped the chart for a 6th consecutive year, while Olivia has added a 4th year to her reign atop the girls’ list.⁠ ⁠ In other, slightly less predictable naming news, Wrenlee was the fastest-rising name for female babies last year. Meanwhile, Paramount’s western hit Yellowstone has clearly influenced parents picking names for their new sons — Dutton and Kayce, the two fastest-growing boy names of 2022, both feature in the show.⁠ ⁠ Name reigns⁠ ⁠ The SSA has been tracking baby names since the late 1800s, using applications for Social Security cards to gather data for each state. As in the case of Yellowstone, culture, media and technology (baby Alexa, anyone?) can all have a pretty profound effect on the popularity of names further down the list. The names that occupy the top spots, however, have historically held onto number one for a decade or more.⁠ ⁠ The multi-year reigns of Olivia and Liam, for example, are actually relatively short when looking at previous tenures. Mary, for example, was the most common female name for a third of the last 100 years, and Michael topped the boys chart for a staggering 43 years, with David unseating the name just once (in 1960).⁠ ⁠ #dataviz #babies #parenting

How high can you go? 🏠 📈⁠ ⁠ The average US mortgage rate has surged to 7.1% — a level it has not reached for over two decades — according to data published by Freddie Mac last week.⁠ •⁠ The reverberations of these high mortgage payments, coupled with the sizable contingent of present homeowners who secured mortgages during the era of ultra-low interest rates, have cast a shadow over the housing market. Understandably, those holding favorable fixed rates are reluctant to re-enter the mortgage market, leaving aspiring buyers with limited options. ⁠ •⁠ The consequence? A nearly 19% plunge in year-over-year sales of existing homes in June, converging to make the most challenging housing affordability conditions in the last four decades, per Bloomberg. ⁠

🍟 Advancin’ It 🍟⁠ ⁠ In the world of fast food, McDonald’s remains the industry heavyweight 80+ years after its opening. With ~13,500 US stores and each branch raking in over $3.6 million a year on average, QSR put the burger giant’s US systemwide sales at a staggering $48.7 billion last year.⁠ •⁠ The chain’s “Accelerating the Arches” campaign is said to be a key factor in its recent success. Unveiled in 2020, the plan aims to modernize the organization while keeping core menu items at the heart of the business, and McDouble down on the 4 Ds — Delivery, Digital, Drive Thru, and (Restaurant) Development. ⁠ •⁠ Indeed, the WSJ recently reported that dine-in customers now represent less than 10% of visitors to most McDonald’s franchises — and it’s not just Casa del Clown where customers are skipping eating in. Data from Circana found that just 14% of fast-food orders were eaten on site in June 2023, compared with 22% in 2015. 🍔📲⁠

💰Crowdsaucing 🥫 ⁠ ⁠ The ongoing shortage of sriracha hot sauce has driven resale prices to eye-watering levels, with the iconic red-and-green bottles going for as much as $70 on eBay and $124 on Amazon.⁠ •⁠ Huy Fong Foods, which retails the rooster-adorned variety of sriracha sauce, has faced production issues in recent years, announcing a “severe shortage of chili” in April 2022. Poor weather conditions and droughts throughout Mexico, California and New Mexico have left Huy Fong struggling to keep up with the annual ~20 million bottle demand — with “no estimations of when supply will increase”.⁠ •⁠ At the end of Q1 2023, the consumer price index for all sauces and gravies was up 41% from 2017. But there is a special place in America’s heart for sriracha: Google Search data since 2013 shows that Americans consistently seek sriracha over other alternatives. ⁠ •⁠ Google searches for “sriracha” increased in mid-2022 after Huy Fong’s statement release, and they were at their peak this month. Clearly, reports of fiery bidding wars aren’t enough to stop sriracha being hot property. 🌶️🚨

🎞️ Bi-epics 🏆⁠ ⁠ Life stories are like a box of chocolates… and 2023 is shaping up to be a year chock-full of biographical movies. ⁠ •⁠ In the fallout of Oppenheimer-mania, Netflix has revealed the trailer for upcoming biopic ‘Maestro', directed by and starring Bradley Cooper as the famed composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. Maestro will join some 15 biographical films that have been released so far this year.⁠ •⁠ Increasingly, starring in movie memoirs is striking gold at the Academy Awards. Performers playing real people have been nominated 359 times at the Oscars, with 8 of those in 2021 alone.⁠ •⁠ However, biopics have only recently started to match their critical acclaim with commercial success. Since 2010, 8 biographical movies have seen their protagonists win Best Actor — 4 of which grossed over $100M. But in the 30 years before that, only 11 biopics scooped Best Actor Oscars and not one of those met the $100M threshold. ⁠ •⁠ Biopics may be cementing their place among 2023 blockbusters — but which will make it onto the Oscar ballot? 🌟 💬

🖥️ iM 25! 🎂⁠ ⁠ On August 15 1998, Apple launched the first iMac computer, marking a significant milestone that now lies 25 years behind us. ⁠ •⁠ The iMac, often credited as Apple’s savior, engineered a remarkable turnaround that rekindled the company's profitability. In 2001, Mac sales commanded a staggering 70% share of the company's net revenue, contributing an impressive $4.4 billion.⁠ •⁠ Since then, the spotlight on Apple's stage has indisputably shifted to the iPhone. Macs now represent a mere fraction of total net sales, contributing around 10% at $40 billion — a number that’s reportedly more reliant on laptops than desktops now, too. ⁠ •⁠ As hybrid work takes hold and we rely increasingly on portable devices, it’s difficult to imagine the iMac regaining its place atop the Apple throne — but, at least for a while, the Bondi blue behemoth ruled. 🍏🧑‍💻⁠ ⁠ #datavisualization #dataviz #apple #imac

🔉 Whatenheimer? — The Generational Subs Split ⁠ ⁠ Despite becoming the highest-grossing World War II movie of all time, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was somewhat dogged by audiences complaining about inaudible dialogue — an issue that movie-watchers may ordinarily fix by switching on the subs.⁠ •⁠ At-home audiences have increasingly toggled subtitles “on” in recent years, though some demographics are more inclined to add the descriptors than others. Interestingly, it’s Gen Z that is driving the subtitle surge.⁠ •⁠ A new survey from @yougovamerica reveals that 51% of US adults aged 18-29 are watching TV with subtitles “always” or “most of the time” — compared to just 18% of 45-64 year olds and 20% of over 65s.⁠ •⁠ Subtitles on or off? Tell us in the comments 👇📺⁠ ⁠ #datavisualization #dataviz #subtitles #TV #GenZ⁠

🤖 Charting the hype: 9 months of ChatGPT🤖 📈 #1: ChatGPT got off to a flying start back in December, hitting 1M users 15x faster than both Instagram and Spotify. Traffic to the site continued to grow until May when it hit 97 million users — but the figure fell for the first time in June. 📈 #2: ChatGPT’s popularity on Reddit has also waned. The forum r/chatgpt hit an activity peak of 5,800 comments in in a single day back in May, but despite having 2.8 million users, activity is now dwindling. 📈 #3: Meanwhile, executives at top companies can’t stop talking about AI. Data collated by Goldman Sachs reveals that AI is being referenced more and more in the quarterly earnings calls of Russell 3000 companies, perhaps in an effort to position their companies as “AI-forward”. 📈 #4: So how are companies actually using AI? According to McKinsey’s latest report on the subject, only 22% of respondents are regularly using AI in their own work, with marketing and sales roles reporting the highest regular usage at 14%. All of these charts are from our latest Sunday Deep Dive! Sign up for our 4x weekly newsletter and get full stories and wayyyy more charts straight to your inbox, totally free.✒️📩

💰👜 An end to the Kors-Coach handbag war? 👜💰⁠ ⁠ Tapestry, the parent company of Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman is set to add Michael Kors, Versace, and Jimmy Choo to its bag after striking an $8.5b deal to acquire Capri Holdings.⁠ •⁠ Michael Kors is very much the jewel in the Capri crown. In the last financial year, MK’s bags, accessories, and clothing accounted for ~70% of Capri Holdings’ sales, and the company eked out a 22% operating margin on those sales, better than the 14% managed at Versace, and the 6% for Jimmy Choo.⁠ •⁠ Coach and Michael Kors have been locked in a handbag war that has raged for nearly a decade. In recent years, Coach has gained the upper hand thanks to a careful strategy focused on pop-ups, sustainable materials and Gen-Z, meaning the brand has been able to steadily raise prices. For some analysts, this deal marks a final victory for Tapestry.⁠ ⁠ #datavisualization #dataviz #michaelkors #coach #fashion⁠

🦄 Unicorns are rare again 🦄⁠ ⁠ 2023 is a year of scarce sightings, as unicorns regain their mythical status. According to data from Pitchbook, July saw just 3 new companies reach the $1 billion valuation necessary to join the club — a paltry count in comparison to the 67 that emerged in Dec 2021.⁠ ⁠ Coined by venture capitalist Aileen Lee in 2013, unicorn was originally the perfect moniker for the few start-ups reaching the milestone. But, thanks to low interest rates and the tech boom, 2021 alone witnessed over 600 companies galloping past the billion-dollar finish line — more than 2 per working day.⁠ ⁠ Now, with higher interest rates and tech’s “year of efficiency” well underway, unicorns are becoming an elusive creature once again.⁠ ⁠ #datavisualization #dataviz #startups #unicorn #businessdata⁠