53Kviews
Americans Are Sharing Things They Wish The US Would Learn From Other Countries, And Here Are 30 Insightful Answers
What better way to broaden your worldview than by traveling? Being able to experience new social norms and customs that might be miles away from what you're used to sounds like a great way to get some new perspectives. Perhaps just because things have always been a certain way, doesn't mean it's necessarily the best?
One Redditor asked US citizens what they think the US could adopt from other countries, and people had a lot to say. It's clever to check out how other systems work once in a while, and these folks noticed some huge gaps that the US needs to jump.
From mundane things like shoes in the house, to the whole tax system, people were eager to share where they think the US is lacking. Bored Panda selected the best submissions on what Americans could learn from other countries. Upvote your favorites, and don't be shy to share your opinion in the comments below!
This post may include affiliate links.
No tipping. But actually having a good salary for waiters not to mention, health insurance, paid vacation.
In Denmark waiters are paid a decent wage, so you only give a tip if the service has been extraordinary.
When I was in Austria and Germany, I walked my ass off everyday because I could. The streets were safe with designated pedestrian areas. I ate tons of food and drank tons of beer and I still lost weight. If American cities were more pedestrian friendly, we wouldn't have the obesity epidemic we have now. Well, maybe we would anyway - because, cr**py processed food with mystery chemicals in it.
I like how in Japan the schools basically have the kids clean up after themselves and take care of their school. They don't have janitors and children serve their peers lunch, too. Plus, their lunches always look amazing compared to the highly processed foods my child gets here. My son and I pick up trash around our area. The middle school by us is always covered in trash. Give some responsibility and respect to our planet.
Adding to this, guaranteed annual paid vacation days for everyone, period. The EU guarantees FOUR CALENDAR WEEKS. Some other countries have more.
US has ZERO.
Australia has 3weeks at Christmas, 1week at Easter and many paid public holidays, we even take 4 days off in November because of a horse race, frickin awesome:)
Finland has recently ended homelessness via just allowing people to live in small apartments without any preconditions and 4/5 make their way back to a stable life
it's also cheaper then allowing people to be homeless
I'm all for supporting the homeless but wonder how it's cheaper to house them than not? (Even if it's more costly I support)
A prison system that focuses on rehabilitation instead of punishment. Many countries have been successful with this saving literally billions of dollars and cutting down on crime.
Decent healthcare that isn't tied to your job. Other countries all over the world have figured out different ways to do this, so why can't we? (I know, corporations own politicians)
I'm not an expert, but I'm guessing it would destabilize a bunch of industries in the near term. But I wonder if long-term, it would create so much new innovation since people would be unafraid to lose their health benefits to leave their stable but s****y corporate jobs to start new ventures.
In Australia healthcare is paid for by our taxes, we are taxed heavily for this. In Australia we are pretty much taxed heavily for everything, the only people who seem to get away with not paying a lot of taxes are politicians
Teaching foreign language to young students in public schools (ie 5yrs, k-5) when the propensity to learn language quickly is maximum.
Seems that with huge spanish speaking countries directly to our (US) south, spanish SHOULD be mandatory.
I keep seeing people in the US being charged ridiculous fees to apply for a rental property and then up not being successful in their application. The UK has banned these fees and it seems a much more fair way of doing things.
No big pharma advertising
So, I pay my doctor $250 US per visit but then I have to talk to HIM about so and so drug???
Mandatory paid family leave for the birth or adoption of a child.
OMG yes, some people come back after a baby with no job. Huge problem
Remove it being legal for anyone to get paid less than minimum wage so as to rely on tips. No more tips. Just people making their hourly pay doing the job they do, and we pay what it costs, period.
If that means a haircut is $45, well, that's what even the cheapest one comes to anyway, with tip, so let's just have done with the tip economy and pay everyone their full wage, paid by the employer, and the customer pays the set price.
A haircut in Australia is well over $45, I mean, a packet of cigarettes is $55, a gallon of petrol (we use litres in Australia but I'm making it easier:)is approximately $7.50, my daughter got her hair coloured at the hairdressers, $425, minimum wage in my industry (I work in the building trade) $29 approx per hour, my 19 year old daughter earns $29 an hour, my 25 year old son earns $60 per hour........whilst the amounts seem large, they have to be because everything is extremely expensive
At South Korean restaurants, tables have call buttons. You press them when you're ready to order or you need anything. Other than that, the service staff leaves you alone.
In Canada they come regularly until you order then as soon as your food arrives they come back and ask how everything is before you have a chance to try it, then they can't be found when you want to pay and leave
When I went to Canada this summer I was amazed that there were recycle and compost bins everywhere. It was to the point that I almost didn't throw anything in the actual garbage the entire trip. Time to step up your game America.
Out subdivision recycles, but if you put the wrong things in your recycle box, they don't pick it up. I try to use a lot of recyclable items for my crafting. Just made 20mo grandson alphabet, number, color, and shape magnets using soda boxes. Cut in 2x2 squares, glued 10 pieces together, painted and sealed, attached magnets. He LOVES them!
Universal school lunches. It is embarrassing that we do not have folks cooking lunches for students from scratch, and that it is not provided for free to all students. You want to bring your own lunch? Great, but you can also have the free hot lunch that looks homemade, not pizza squares, canned veggies and a slice of a fruit and 3 oz of milk. Kids shouldn't be going into debt for lunch. We're probably wealthy enough that our food waste alone would be sufficient to, if captured magically, to feed every kid in the United States three proper meals per day.
Walkable cities.
Above ground monorail systems.
I was on the board of a food charity for about six years. The amount of food that grocery stores throw away is staggering. In part due to US food safety laws. In bigger part due to US shoppers are super picky so if any fruit or veggie has a minor blem they will pass on it. The amount of waste is just painful to see.
A better tax system. IE the government gives you a number and you pay it, no guess work.
I thought USA is such a great country but reading all these and something as simple as taxes makes me realise maybe it is not as great as they make it look like. You are missing on so many points and to me it seems like your citizens are money making machines for the 1% and close to getting bankrupt with one wrong step....
You are exactly right. It doesn't matter how hard anyone works; a low income destines you to most likely be fúcked for the rest of your life.
Load More Replies...
Finnish system in a nutshell: You give the tax officials a ballpark of how much you're gonna make that year; They send your company's payroll the tax percentages which are automatically deducted from your income and deposited as taxes; after the end of the year your taxes are counted and compared to how much you actually made during the year and finally the tax office sends you either a bill to pay the missing taxes or what's more fun, a letter telling you how much they're gonna give you back in overpaid taxes and when it's gonna get to your account. A lot of people purposefully overestimate their income a bit to get the returns
Similar in Norway and it's brilliant. When the goverment sends you the tax balance of the previous year, you have a month to review it and edit it. If you edit it, then the governents review again and either approves it/rejects it. It's all digital. The reviewing/editing process is very simple with explanations of each tax and who is applicable. Love it.
Load More Replies...
in the UK its automatically deducted from our wages so we don't have to worry about it only exception is if you are self employed then you have to do it yourself
Our country takes the tax before paying your salary. If you think it was too much you submit a return to claim money back. Otherwise you just submit a return with no claim and fill in the amounts reflected on a form you get each year that tells you what to fill in where. I'd like this latter part to be scrapped. I mean, waht's the point of filling in a return if you know you were taxed correctly?
Believe me, the 1% is not uniquely American. The divide between the rich and everyone else is world wide issue. Also, in the U.S., unless you're self employed, taxes are withheld from your pay by the employer and sent to the government. All of the other deductions, credits, etc., are not mandatory, if you don't want to reduce your taxes don't itemize and don't take the standard deduction. And there you go, the government gave you a number and you paid it. Happy now?
It takes me like one minute to do my taxes. Log in to an app, click a confirm button. (Edit: I live in Sweden, my point is that like the post says there are ways to make taxes super simple.)
Same in India, We have a PAN number which is shared with employers as well as government tax agencies. They give you a ballpark depending on your income. You can add liabilities and deductions once a year, pay the tax and get returns timely if you are eligible according to deductions. Takes about 5 minutes and everything is online.
Load More Replies...
lol NO THANK YOU! The IRS will do this. I've asked them for it 3 times. Each time they've quoted much higher amounts than it's actually been. The IRS doesn't know your life, they only know your income. So anything other than the standard deduction for being alive isn't taken out when they figure it for you.
To clarify: In the US, the IRS *does* have access to the income information for 'normal' employed workers. You have to fill this form out anyway. A reason for doing this is that the US has tried to implement lots of policy via tax exemptions and other complexities. So you have your wage, but then you can claim things and deduct things and blah blah blah. Without having more than a small pension fund and small education savings for a relative's kid, I've submitted tax forms that are, I s**t you not, an inch thick. On the other hand it can be as simple as two pages for a lot of people.
There certainly can be a case made for a flat rate tax system. Those who can afford income and tax advisors pay far less percentage than the average working stiff.
Is this how it's done in other countries? You should see our forms. Utterly bonkers.
Proud to say Canada's in the process of adopting that. They're starting with people in need in 2024 that can't afford an accountant, then expanding it to the entire population in a few years. You just have to sign into your govt account, click what programs/benefits you want to apply for, then submit your deductions and special paperwork. All the basics will be filed out and processed. They found that a lot of low income people weren't filling out their taxes so they weren't getting back money they really needed, especially seniors.
How does this affect privacy? It might be simple if your income is just a simple wage (w2) - but I, for example, have five brokerage accounts; crypto income; interest/royalties; rental property; etc. Would the federal government always and instantly have access to all this activity, and for free without a warrant? Half of us aren't too keen on the federal government being so all-knowing. I'd rather pay the $70 for Turbotax.
an accross-the-board flat tax would resolve this. if you make $100, you're taxed $25. if you make $1,000,000, you're taxed $250,000. after healthcare, education, infrastructure, and all the important things are paid for from those taxes, the military can have the leftovers. if they don't think that's enough, they can ask for fucƙing tips when they invade the next brown population.
Since the rich are prominant proponents of a flat tax, it might not be as equitable as you think. Many poorer Americans pay less than 25% (or whatever percentage you choose) - often nothing at all - so you would hurt them.. Many rich pay more than 25%, and those are the ones who would benefit.
Load More Replies...
This would only work if the government had every single detail of your finances. And then it's would cost you more in taxes to pay the additional workload of the government working it out for you. Seems like a simple idea, but tax isn't just on salary. A better tax system would actually be zero income tax and all tax dollars are made on purchases (like VAT or GST but with no other taxes at all). We still need to pay it but it moves the burden of calculating it from the individual to the companies. It also means you can have different taxes on different items (or classes of items). eg: Food could be zero tax. Basic goods a low tax, luxury items a higher tax. And the more expensive the item the more expensive the tax. So a $20k car doesn't have a lot of tax but a $200k car does.
Not having huge gaps in bathroom stalls from any other country in the world please. Why do we as americans put up with this? I'm tired of making eye contact with strangers while s******g in public.
I loved a unisex setup I used in Japan. (I think, small chance it was Korea). Open area is for hand washing. Also a pee trough on back wall. The stalls had walls/doors floor to ceiling. Appropriate since they were squat toilets. But when a person goes into a stall it is basically like a private room. So nobody watching you potty - but saves space with shared sinks. And of course it totally sidesteps the "which bathroom is okay to use" problem because everyone uses the same one.
In Japan there is a service that you can call 24hrs/day that will come with 2 drivers 1 car. One driver drives you and your car home, the other follows in their car to pick up the driver that took you home with your car. No DUI ect. Its actually really affordable there. No need to get an uber home that night then an uber back the next day when you are hung over only to find out you have a million parking tickets or your car got towed.
The train system from Japan. The US public transportation is lacking.
The US public transportation system is lacking because everything is rigged for fossil fuel companies to make moolah.
Taking your shoes off when entering the inside.
Lol this is certainly an American thing and i don't understand at all why you would want to wear your shoes indoors. It's dirty and so much more comfortable without shoes anyway
keep public spaces clean and tidy like in japan. that is all.
Swedish drinking laws. If I remember correctly, you can purchase alcohol below 5% at age 18, and be served liquor is bars (so the bartender can control the amount being served.) Seems like a smarter way to introduce kids to alcohol rather than opening the flood gates at 21.
I have always hated the hypocrisy / inconsistency between when you are mature enough to drive - 16, sign legal contracts / die in the military - 18, and smoke or drink - 21. Drive a car to the recruiting center, join the military and kill other human beings / maybe get blown up. But don't you dare buy a cigarette.
Widely available artisan bread at affordable prices
Where I live you can get the best artisan bread ever in a supermarket. Plus we have mini bakeries in some grocery stores that make amazing bread and other baked goods and sell them for a couple euros at most
Amsterdam. Knew they biked, but didn’t expected multi-level bike parking lots every mile. Jesus christ I loved it there.
I have just come back but did not do any sight seeing as the client my husband is a carer for wanted to go to the red light district every day. The first day we split up I want off with my baby but due to having sarcoidosis and ME the walking we done left me bed bound the following day with my feet elevated. Anyway this is the only tourist thing that was done, my husband his client and a friend who tagged along took the baby out for a canal cruise. The guide was really informative apparently and had said that every year they remove about 15 thousand bikes from the rivers and canals in the city. I thought it was a great fact because I love facts. But I really hope these bikes are recycled and turned in to more bikes because they are everywhere you look. I want to go back soon as I missed so much I wanted to see
Siesta. Nothing seems more civilized than everyone taking a nap from 12 until 3ish in the afternoon. Then working until 6-7. And eating dinner at 8 or 9
This seems like a waste of a day to me. I'd rather finish work 3 hours earlier in the day to have that time back with my family instead of napping and stretching out my work day
When I went to Japan. When I ordered from food from any type of chain that is also in USA like McDonald's, Denny's, Burger King, it looked like the picture on the menu or the commercial. It was truly bizzare. Like in the USA if you get a bigmac it looks nothing like the picture or in the commercials. When You get a big mac in japan...it looks like the one in the picture. Its like somebody back there was painstakingly putting that burger together perfectly.
Japan seems to take pride in everything they do. Amazing country and people
Fika, Swedish break for coffee and light socializing.
Note: this post originally had 37 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
FYI: These are not universal, either in or outside the US. Humanity plus corporate greed plus local/regional/national preferences mean any of these can apply anywhere, anytime. If you don't tip in Latin America, btw, be prepared for a *very* bad time. So.... yeah, not even tuesday and here we go. Geez, BP, take a weekend off... or just block everyone from the US from using BP since our nation sucks so much. I understand that's a very progressive/s/ thing to do. (For those wondering: See: News: Montana bans Tiktok)
Agreed. South Africa has a lot of the above problems as well. We have a tipping culture, and if you want quality anything you pay. We do have free education and public healthcare but the quality is abyssmal so most people pay for private suppliers.
Load More Replies...
This isn’t an attack on the U.S., unless you make it one. These are ideas from around several countries that may improve lives in the U.S., some areas, some communities, some cities may not benefit from them, to think that one idea or system would work across a nation as huge and varied as the U.S. is optimistic to say the least, but look at the system that is in place now and see if it could be improved by importing some ideas that work elsewhere. If you are offended that’s your issue, offence is taken, not given. The U.S. has exported some great ideas, be confident enough to admit that others may have ideas that would improve your nation, none of us live in a perfect country.
And aren't the answers being given by Americans who have been to Europe and seen where changes can be made?
Load More Replies...
Maybe we’ll get lucky and get :eek: 2 closed-minded, US-slamming posts this week. *Fingers-crossed*
Load More Replies... It's staggering how little we get for the amount of taxes we pay. In Europe and Asia, ordinary people are not subsidizing the wealthy and enterprises who are not paying their taxes.
German traffic education, laws, and penalties. German regulation of automobiles. Yeah, gimme that.
4 weeks of vacation would be great and all, but I go bonkers after one week.
It's not 4 weeks in a row, you arrange them during the year as you wish and can according to your work schedule / organisation with the colleagues. I have 8 weeks paid, and take them throughout the year so as to do max 15 days in a row, otherwise I'd go bonkers as well.
Load More Replies... 
So you're against the US adapting good ideas from other countries? That's all this list was. And most of our ideas originate elsewhere. This is a global age. Stop being a snowflake, we're not perfect.
Load More Replies... FYI: These are not universal, either in or outside the US. Humanity plus corporate greed plus local/regional/national preferences mean any of these can apply anywhere, anytime. If you don't tip in Latin America, btw, be prepared for a *very* bad time. So.... yeah, not even tuesday and here we go. Geez, BP, take a weekend off... or just block everyone from the US from using BP since our nation sucks so much. I understand that's a very progressive/s/ thing to do. (For those wondering: See: News: Montana bans Tiktok)
Agreed. South Africa has a lot of the above problems as well. We have a tipping culture, and if you want quality anything you pay. We do have free education and public healthcare but the quality is abyssmal so most people pay for private suppliers.
Load More Replies... This isn’t an attack on the U.S., unless you make it one. These are ideas from around several countries that may improve lives in the U.S., some areas, some communities, some cities may not benefit from them, to think that one idea or system would work across a nation as huge and varied as the U.S. is optimistic to say the least, but look at the system that is in place now and see if it could be improved by importing some ideas that work elsewhere. If you are offended that’s your issue, offence is taken, not given. The U.S. has exported some great ideas, be confident enough to admit that others may have ideas that would improve your nation, none of us live in a perfect country.
And aren't the answers being given by Americans who have been to Europe and seen where changes can be made?
Load More Replies... Maybe we’ll get lucky and get :eek: 2 closed-minded, US-slamming posts this week. *Fingers-crossed*
Load More Replies... It's staggering how little we get for the amount of taxes we pay. In Europe and Asia, ordinary people are not subsidizing the wealthy and enterprises who are not paying their taxes.
German traffic education, laws, and penalties. German regulation of automobiles. Yeah, gimme that.
4 weeks of vacation would be great and all, but I go bonkers after one week.
It's not 4 weeks in a row, you arrange them during the year as you wish and can according to your work schedule / organisation with the colleagues. I have 8 weeks paid, and take them throughout the year so as to do max 15 days in a row, otherwise I'd go bonkers as well.
Load More Replies... So you're against the US adapting good ideas from other countries? That's all this list was. And most of our ideas originate elsewhere. This is a global age. Stop being a snowflake, we're not perfect.
Load More Replies... 