12 Things the British Do Better Than Americans
The United States has many great things going for it. Our diverse geography, football (the real kind that you throw with your hands), and Fourth of July cookouts are just a few of the things that make the Land of the Free so great.
That said, no country is perfect. The British are understandably proud of some of the things and systems they have that run better than the U.S.
We compiled this list of things Brits do better than Americans using a combination of personal experience and opinions shared online.
1: Public Transportation
Forty-five percent of Americans don’t have access to public transportation. Of those who do, many of the buses, subways, and trollies are aging and in need of repairs.
In contrast, people in England made an average of 739 trips on public transportation in 2020. That amounted to 580 billion kilometers (over 360 billion miles) that passengers traveled. From my experience using public transportation in the United Kingdom (U.K.), it’s cleaner and with a larger middle-class working crowd compared to my experience with public transportation in the U.S.
2: Desserts
If you have a sweet tooth, it’s hard to say you’ve truly tried desserts until you visit the U.K. One of the reasons that British desserts are so different from American desserts is they often have less sugar. The result? You can better taste the other ingredients in what you’re eating.
One reason why American desserts typically have more sugar than British desserts is because sugar dropped in price and was readily available to Americans after the U.S. gained its independence.
3: Healthcare
The British healthcare system isn’t perfect. But objectively, it’s better than the U.S. According to the Michigan Journal Of Economics, the U.S. ranks last for overall healthcare system performance of the 11 developed countries they analyzed. The U.K. ranked fourth.
The British have a government-sponsored universal healthcare system that they call the National Health Service (NHS).
4: Innovations
Yes, the U.S. has Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Elon Musk. However, over 40% of discoveries the world has embraced in the last 50 years have come from the U.K., according to Japanese researchers.
If you’re an American having trouble believing this, it’s understandable why. Going back as far as the invention of the light bulb there’s conflicting data about who the first inventor was. Americans say it was Edison in 1879; Brits say it was Sir Joseph Swan of Newcastle in 1878.
5: Walking Culture
Keeping track of daily steps like many Americans love to do seems like a silly way to spend time to our friends across the pond. According to one study, Americans walk about 1,200 steps fewer each day than the British.
Of course, Americans aren’t entirely to blame for having a lower step count. Many places are spread too far apart to make walking feasible, and sidewalks may not be present even if it is. Furthermore, since there’s such a lack of public transportation, Americans often arrive a parking lot away from their destination versus a handful of blocks.
6: World Sport
Don’t get me wrong: Football is uniquely American and something we’re understandably proud of. However, from the perspective of joining the world in loving soccer, the U.S. misses the mark.
Nevermind that as of March of this year, the U.S. has won more women’s World Cup titles than any other country in the world. The truth remains that, as a whole, Americans would rather watch a football or baseball game than soccer.
7: Chocolate Bars
If you’ve ever proudly asked a Brit what they think about our Hershey’s chocolate and the like, you likely got an earful from them. The reason? To the British and many Europeans, American chocolate tastes like vomit.
Before you break off a friendship with your seemingly opinionated British friend, consider this: American chocolate companies often include butyric acid as an ingredient in chocolate to help give the candy a longer shelf life. Butyric acid is found in vomit. Can you blame Brits for choosing their butyric acid-free Cadbury chocolate?
8: Stronger Food Rules
The U.K. is no longer part of the European Union. But even so, they follow many of its stricter regulations about what is and isn’t allowed in British food.
One of the biggest differences between additives used in foods in Europe and the U.S. is that an additive must be proven safe before being used in a food. In the U.S., new food ingredients are allowed on the market until or if they’re proven harmful.
9: Safer Plugs
Three-prong plug adapters are a nuisance to Americans who have limited room in their luggage. But it turns out the British are a step ahead of us on the plug front.
The purpose of the third prong on a 3-prong plug is to ground the electricity. Therefore, if a wire becomes loose, a three-prong plug better protects you from electric shock than a two-prong plug.
10: Afternoon Tea
A fast-paced life is valued by many Americans. But in Britain, it’s perfectly acceptable to take a break to enjoy afternoon tea. Typically, one drinks afternoon tea anywhere between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
In case you need more convincing aside from taking a break in the late afternoon, afternoon tea is usually served with finger foods. Mini sandwiches, scones, and other pastries are commonly served with a pot of tea.
11: Dates
You might prefer how Americans write dates because it’s all you’ve ever known. But when you zoom out, writing dates as Month-Day-Year doesn’t exactly make sense.
In the U.K., they write their dates in ascending order (Day-Month-Year). Even in Eastern Asian countries, it’s common to see order to their dates; they write them in descending order (Year-Month-Day).
12: Literature
Despite being a fan of many American authors, the data doesn’t lie: Not a single American author has a book in the top five best-selling books of all time list, but two British authors do.
A Tale of Two Cities, which ranks as the second-best seller of all time, was written by Charles Dickens, who was from Portsmouth, England. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone came in fifth place, with Yate-born J.K. Rowling being the author.
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