The United States has a unique role to play in world affairs. This belief, often linked to the idea that America is exceptional, has shaped U.S. foreign policy. But Americans find some of the qualities inculcated in the regular lives of other countries fascinating and believe that those should be followed by the Americans as well.
This article talks about various life improvement qualities taken out from other countries and a survey has been done to check whether the Americans would embrace such quality of doing things.
Accessible sidewalks across the cities or towns
According to a survey, 70% of Americans would love to have easily accessible sidewalks like the rest of the world.
Cities in the US lag behind many countries in terms of walkability. In this fast-paced world, it is critical that people, regardless of their disability, age, or any other constraints, can get from one place to another swiftly and conveniently, without any challenges. Such conditions make sidewalks a vital part of people’s lives.
Sales tax should be included in the product cost
68% of the Americans think that the sales tax should be included in the product cost like most of the countries do. This will provide price transparency and reduce confusion at checkout. It ensures that the price displayed is the total amount the customer will pay, avoiding any unexpected additional costs.
Minimum paid vacation allowance
57% of Americans think that the US should implement minimum vacation laws like the rest of the world to improve worker well-being and productivity. Adequate vacation time helps reduce burnout, enhance mental health, and increase job satisfaction. Additionally, it aligns the US with global standards, promoting a healthier work-life balance for employees.
A Higher minimum wage for the wait staff
56% of Americans are tired of tipping the wait staff and voted for a higher minimum wage for the wait staff. Tipping was created so that the workers in the states with a “tipped minimum wage” of $3.35 an hour could still make the real minimum wage. The wait staff are skilled people compensated based on varying levels of experience and ability. Therefore, the people tip them off to compliment their skills and hard work, but the Americans have a view that it is high time that such workers should be compensated more than the minimum wage they are stuck on.
Not to have prescription drug advertisements on Television.
53% of Americans would back the idea of not having prescription drug advertisements on TV. In the US, TV viewers are subjected to an extraordinarily increasing volume of drug commercials. Drug utilization is highly responsive to advertising exposure with a 6% increase in the number of prescriptions purchased by the non-elderly in areas with a high Medicare-eligible share, relative to areas with a lower share. Therefore, this increases the chances of people being prone to more health risks, buying medications without prescriptions.
Replicate British-Banking systems
Being able to easily send people money directly from your bank account to theirs using your bank’s website or app, rather than using payment apps like Venmo or writing checks, is one of the qualities that 53% of Americans are putting their votes for. Everybody wants to just enter a PIN and transfer the money in one go, but the American system has made it harder for Americans to transfer money in non-related US bank accounts.
Transparency is needed, but not in the public toilets.
The public restrooms in the US often have larger gaps between stall doors and frames. This strange design of the restrooms allows people outside to peek into occupied stalls, which bothers nearly half (49%) of Americans. Strangely as per the survey, 30% of Americans wouldn’t mind such design of the public restrooms, despite the possible privacy concerns.
Is an electric kettle a thing?
The low voltage electric standards in the US don’t allow Americans to choose a kettle as an effective electric appliance in their homes. With only 47% participation, the survey did not show a large number of Americans showing an inclination toward kettle usage. Despite some using stovetops or microwaves, almost half (47%) of Americans want the convenience of electric kettles for fast boiling water. Yet, a sizable minority (27%) remains comfortable with their existing methods.
Inclination towards drinking in public places
Unlike most of the countries where the legal drinking age is set to 18 years of age, the US sets the bar at 21. However, there’s little public support for lowering legal drinking, with only 30% of Americans in favor. Interestingly, even 43% of young adults are more likely to oppose a change. However, the topic is about public drinking. 46% of Americans voted to allow public drinking, mirroring the practices of other Western nations. Whereas, such voting was more biased by the younger generations as such was more influenced by people under 65 years of age.
Traffic light intersections
While much research suggests many advantages to roundabouts, such thought faces resistance in the US. Some studies show that roundabouts reduce the average delays with a 65% lower rate and severe crashes with almost 80% lower rate compared to traditional traffic light intersections. Despite substantial benefits, 42% of the US population remained opposed to a widespread shift towards roundabouts, with only 34% of the people favoring it.
Reduction in the portion size
The US is very well known for its large portion size in its meals at restaurants. A large bunch (42%) of the Americans were more inclined towards keeping the portion size as usual, whereas, around 37% of them wanted it to be reduced. A large percentage of the survey varied as per gender, wherein, the men were more inclined towards keeping the portion size as usual while the women wanted it to be reduced.
Support for metric system
Alongside Liberia and Myanmar, the US stands hand in hand with the non-support of the metric system as an official system of management. Public votes in the US seem to favor keeping things their original way, with nearly 48% of Americans preferring imperial units, with only 25% of them wanting to switch to the metric system. This suggests a potential roadblock for any future metrication efforts made by the US.