Is the USA the most conservative country in the Anglosphere? (rent, home)

[Vernell111]

First of, there are a lot of people that like conservative/right wing leaning policies and think they are better. Hence, I don't think we should immediately read the title and assume its a negative trait.


I'm not taking about "far right" with all the ism. I am talking about having a right wing leaning "worldview."

For instance, I have noticed that even Canada has a stronger public transportation than the USA. While in the USA car culture dominates. However, I feel some people prefer it that way.

I feel that some people really want a house, car, dog and a small business and Sunday church. They also want minimal government intervention and everyone to "pull themselves by their bootstraps."

I think only the big cities(NYC, LA, San Francisco...etc) has a slightly different culture. Then as you go to Toronto maybe the rest of Ontario you the more "liberal culture" similar to the culture of California. Then in the UK the government seems more involved in people's life. Each time I watch British youtubers they always talk about the NHS.


What do you guys think?

[danielsa1775]

I can't see this thread lasting long.

I have no idea what conservative means these days. For instance the UK had mass public transportation networks long before cars came along, trains and underground rail networks are the traditional means of mass transport, yet these days they are seen as an example left leaning progressiveness.

I have no doubt the people who buldozed most of Australia's tram networks in the 1960's thought themselves as progressives, as they were replacing the old with something new and different.

I am a stay at home dad, and fullfill a very traditional role a wife normal would yet consider myself conservative, mostly because I support free enterprise, and small government.

[indigorunner]

I definitely think so, at least when speaking about averages. The Republican party would be considered a lot farther right than their equivalents in other Anglosphere countries, I doubt they would gain as much popularity if in other countries with the same policies/talking points. A lot of widespread conservative opinions in the US would be harder to find in Canada or Australia, particularly regarding religion or homosexuality. Not saying there aren't many in those countries with similar opinions, but I would say they are are less of them, per capita.

However, with that said, cities in the US, particularly on the west coast, are probably comparable to those in other Anglosphere countries. I don't think Seattle is more conservative than Vancouver is, or at least not by a large margin. Same goes with Toronto and Chicago, LA and Sydney, or London and NYC. So for all intents and purposes, those in cities probably wouldn't notice much of a difference.

[norcal2k19]

This is a lot more complex than just looking at political labels. One could argue that the US is more of a risk taking nation with respect to cultural and economic matters (which isn't necessarily "conservative") out of the lot listed here.

The US is also very culturally rich and diverse with subregions such as the Pacific Coast, the Northeast, and New England that would fair very well on any comparable international index regarding quality of life and just in general outlook given that these are generally educated regions.

Also, the US does not have an aristocracy and its current central (read: Federal) government is much more diverse in representation than Australia, Canada, and the UK. Sorry saying that the Dems are ideologically aligned with the UK Tories is so outdated and needs to be tabled.

It's just really hard to generalize the third most populous country in the world that continues to shape cultural norms across the globe, which often are generated from it's "left-leaning" or "liberal" areas.

One note about Toronto/Ontario - it's alcohol laws are more conservative than Florida, Louisiana, and New York (NYC). So you have a mix bag here of items/policies to choose from within each of these Anglo countries.

Personally, I would argue the US feels a bit looser (read "less conservative") without the strong safety net of Australia. Once you read past the headlines, it's very much a live and let live nation (see the diversity of Houston, Texas for example). Also, if you work for a solid company in the US with excellent pay + benefits, life tends to be really good (the problem is that this is tied to your employer and leaves millions without coverage - although this has improved significantly since Obamacare). One key thing that's a huge problem for the US is the gun culture and proliferation of handguns - whether this is conversative or liberal depends on how you view it. Personally, I see this as an extension of the original sin of the US (slavery and the need for control) and hope as an American that we find the right balance on the handgun issue before the end of my lifetime. Otherwise, I wouldn't want to live in any other Anglo country (I write this as someone who is well traveled).

[Brave New World]

Originally Posted by Vernell111

First of, there are a lot of people that like conservative/right wing leaning policies and think they are better. Hence, I don't think we should immediately read the title and assume its a negative trait.


I'm not taking about "far right" with all the ism. I am talking about having a right wing leaning "worldview."

For instance, I have noticed that even Canada has a stronger public transportation than the USA. While in the USA car culture dominates. However, I feel some people prefer it that way.

I feel that some people really want a house, car, dog and a small business and Sunday church. They also want minimal government intervention and everyone to "pull themselves by their bootstraps."

I think only the big cities(NYC, LA, San Francisco...etc) has a slightly different culture. Then as you go to Toronto maybe the rest of Ontario you the more "liberal culture" similar to the culture of California. Then in the UK the government seems more involved in people's life. Each time I watch British youtubers they always talk about the NHS.


What do you guys think?

The UK has had a conservative government since 2010, and is a fairly conservative nation.

Whilst traditional Labour seats have been won by the the conservatives in recent elections, which is the equivalent of republicans winning staunch democrat areas.

[BigCityDreamer]

I wonder if geography is a big reason why the United States seems to be more conservative than other Anglosphere countries. For example, the United States is pretty rural and has vast expanses of farmland in places like the Midwest and the south. Canada and Australia are also geographically large countries, but the great bulk of their land masses are not considered suitable for human habitation. Almost all of their populations are concentrated in small, narrow regions of the countries.

If Canada and Australia had huge breadbasket regions like the United States, then would they also be as conservative as the United States?

[danielsa1775]

Originally Posted by Brave New World

Whilst traditional Labour seats have been won by the the conservatives in recent elections, which is the equivalent of republicans winning staunch democrat areas.

I think that is happening everywhere these days, the left is so caught up in getting the inner city liberals on their side they have completely forgotten that the traditional base of the left is working class unionists.

Depending on how you measure it, that base of can also be very conservative. For instance when we had our same sex marriage vote in Australia , the biggest no vote by a long way came out of Western Sydney, which is the heartland of the left.

[Vernell111]

Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer

I wonder if geography is a big reason why the United States seems to be more conservative than other Anglosphere countries. For example, the United States is pretty rural and has vast expanses of farmland in places like the Midwest and the south. Canada and Australia are also geographically large countries, but the great bulk of their land masses are not considered suitable for human habitation. Almost all of their populations are concentrated in small, narrow regions of the countries.

If Canada and Australia had huge breadbasket regions like the United States, then would they also be as conservative as the United States?

I believe that the USA tends to be a highly insular culture. For instance, most people in some towns and cities all around the country are more concerned with what happens in their town or state; than even in the big cities and much less in the outside world. Due to geography, the USA doesn't have any neighbors that could influence then Mexico is too distant, and Canada is smaller in size; hence it is not like rivals nations that influence each other.

I agree. I will add that even some small towns and small cities on the West Coast also have a similar culture. These places very religious, I even met some people who even marry early in their high school "sweetheart."

The liberal culture is primarily localized in the big cities like NYC and LA. It seems to me that this culture gets exported much more towards Western Europe and East Asia than inwards. Hence, people assume the USA is like what they see on television. Yet, they are surprised when they see a much more conservative culture.

[elnrgby]

Having a car is conservative?? No, I think it is simply practical, with the distances people have to commute (or othetwise travel) in the US. Having said that, all large cities in the US have major public transportation systems, including wide commuter rail reaching outer metropolitan areas. A lot of Americans who live in large cities do not own a car (I have not owned it for 29 years that I have lived in Boston, I just rent it when I need it), and car non-ownership is particularly popular among the millenials. It amazes me how ready people are, on either extreme of the political spectrum, to confuse a political dogma (eg, that cars are politically conservative :-) with matters of ordinary sanity/ practicality. The US actually has good public transportation wherever there is enough demand for it.

[SEAandATL]

Originally Posted by elnrgby

Having a car is conservative?? No, I think it is simply practical, with the distances people have to commute (or othetwise travel) in the US. Having said that, all large cities in the US have major public transportation systems, including wide commuter rail reaching outer metropolitan areas. A lot of Americans who live in large cities do not own a car (I have not owned it for 29 years that I have lived in Boston, I just rent it when I need it), and car non-ownership is particularly popular among the millenials. It amazes me how ready people are, on either extreme of the political spectrum, to confuse a political dogma (eg, that cars are politically conservative :-) with matters of ordinary sanity/ practicality. The US actually has good public transportation wherever there is enough demand for it.

It's not that having a car itself is conservative, and outside of NYC, DC, and maybe Chicago most US cities do not have good public transportation compared to the other world cities of equal size. The culture of public transportation only being for the poor who cannot afford a car, and not wanting to pay taxes for it is what's conservative.