USA VS UK: WHICH COUNTRY HAS THE BETTER LIFESTYLE?
After Douglas Carswell gave his experience of living in the US as a Brit, Telegraph readers took to the comments section to share their take on life in America.
Readers, many of whom have lived in both the US and the UK, admired the lifestyle of Americans, including their healthcare system and career ambitions.
Meanwhile, others praised the politeness and sharp sense of humour found only in Britain.
Read on to enjoy the best of the debate, and join the conversation in the comments section.
‘The US love their country, and don’t mind admitting it’
Diana Partridge: “I lived in the US (California) for 15 years. I agree with Douglas Carswell. People work hard, and have a good standard of living. The health care is as good as it is in the UK, but very expensive.
“If you work hard and make some decent money, you are not looked down on, and it is not assumed that you crushed someone else to get there.
“Furthermore, they love their country, and don’t mind admitting it. They don’t think they should keep apologising for it, as we tend to do in the UK.”
‘There is too much red tape in the UK’
Nick Baker: “I have been in America for 35 years. Business is a pleasure. Why? Because Americans want to get things done. Simple. I spent far too much time in the UK fighting vertical lines of management. Here there are horizontal lines of management, which help people get things done.
“In construction, time is money. And it’s about time the UK realises that. In an LLC in the UK, I was taxed about 40 per cent when all said and done. In the US, 22 per cent. Speaks for itself.
“There’s too much red tape in the UK, preventing entrepreneurial youth from developing. In the US, everybody gets a chance. I shudder to think where I would be in jolly old Blighty had I stayed. It’s too easy to be a leach in the UK, so I hear. That would not happen in the US to those who are prepared to develop. It’s encouraged in the US, not frowned upon.”
‘I found it a relief to be relatively free of British class distinction’
Anthony Rugge-Price: “After serving in the British Army, I went to the US in the mid-1970s, to live and work, and I loved it there. I found it a relief to be relatively free of British class distinction and be able to enjoy the positive attitude that my new friends and neighbours had.
“I even started a new career as a marine artist aged 55, and was encouraged by all around me, yet back here my mother was constantly telling me to get a proper job.
“It would be much easier for both populations to understand each other’s way of life if we spoke a different language.”
‘The UK understands fairness and tolerance’
Ian Baldry: “Yes, no doubt we have our faults a plenty, but at the end of the day the UK is a wonderful place to live in. We moan about the weather, we complain about anything and everyone, particularly politicians, but we understand fairness and tolerance. And we are extraordinarily tolerant.
“I have travelled all over the world including the US and give me the UK any time of the day. Proud to be British.”
‘I found the US to be a country of extremes’
Kevin Smith: “I left the US, the Bay Area, 12 years ago having lived there for 4 years, and the thing I miss the most is ample parking! Other than that, healthcare in the US is better, if you can afford it, but many cannot.
“Overall, I found the US to be a country of extremes, with some of the best of everything, and some of the worst. I would not live there now. Productivity is high because more people live to work, but is that a better life? I’m not so sure.”
‘The UK population has a razor-sharp sense of humour’
Pauline Bresnik: “I grew up in San Diego and then moved to London when I was 35 and stayed for 20 years. Two years ago, I moved back to the US and am based now in Charlotte, NC.
“Why did I move back? Better opportunities for my 15-year-old. There’s more choice on everything from politics to weather to culture.
“What do I miss about the UK? A more classically educated population with a razor sharp sense of humour; and a more caring society that looks out for each other – especially those less fortunate or vulnerable.”
‘The US basically still treats health and hospital coverage as a business’
Stuart Parminter: “Having lived in the US for 35 years and having lived in the UK for 30 years, I am in a position to disagree with Douglas Carswell in respect to the section of health. The quality and medications one receives for serious medical treatments in the US are very much dependent on one’s medical insurance coverage and just how much money that company is willing to pay out to the hospital and medicines they will pay out for.
“Sorry, but the US basically still treats health and hospital coverage as a business first and foremost.”
‘The NHS is failing the UK in every area’
Paul Diplock: “We lived near Houston, Texas for five years from 2012 to 2017 and would go back in a heartbeat. I was offered a Green Card but didn’t take it up. It was the biggest mistake of my life. I endorse every comment made by Douglas, particularly those relating to lifestyle and the health system.
“Sadly, we delude ourselves here about how good the UK is and cling on to the NHS, which by any stretch of the imagination is failing us in every area apart from the care you get if you fall down in the street. Our culture is virtually destroyed and the change to how we live is out of control, inflicted on us and poorly served by lousy politicians of all persuasions.”
‘One aspect not mentioned is the generosity of Americans’
Chris Davie: “One aspect not mentioned is the generosity of Americans. I remember the first time I visited on business, I was in Arizona and mentioned that I’d like to visit the Grand Canyon. My contact there just said, ‘Oh, you’re welcome to borrow my second car’, which I did and spent three days on the road in it. I later returned on a student visa for six months and ended up staying for 40 years, and have long been a rather proud dual citizen.”
‘There is nowhere that manners matter as much as in England’
Hilary Fordwich: “There is so much I miss about England. As an executive, I’ve lived in many parts of the US, travelled to nearly all ‘A’ cities in the US and Europe and many in Asia, as well as Australia.
“Therefore, I say unequivocally, there is nowhere that manners matter as much as in England. From little things like waving a brief thank you to other cars on the road after a courtesy (which doesn’t even cross the mind of Americans to do) let alone moving over versus cutting others off.”
More: Telegraph readers debate Germany vs Britain: Which country has the better quality of life?
Have you lived or worked in the US? How does it compare to the UK? Please share your experiences in the comments section below
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