YouGov Survey: What foreign ways of doing things would Americans embrace?

[Tigers!]

Traffic circles are becoming a much more common sight, though, even in rural areas where they used to be unheard of.

My town of about 25K has six roundabouts, four in such quick succession that it is more like stacked figure 8’s.

Only six? Poor you. You would be considered deprived in Victoria, Australia and money would be allocated to build you lots more.

 

[Toni]

One thing I really hate is when people don't want apartments or smaller homes built in their neighborhoods. That's one thing I like about my little town. There are streets that have what could be called mansions just a few doors down from smaller modest homes, as well as nicely kept apartment buildings. I like it when people of different income levels are living near each other. You don't find that very often in the US, and liberals can be just as bad as any other group when it comes to the "Not in my backyard" attitude. The area in my town that is made up of mixed income housing is very popular and the homes have been increasing in value a lot over the past few years.

You don't find it very often because it makes the wealthier houses crime targets.

Bullshit. People in fancy expensive homes generally have more wealth and hence more influence and use that influence to do what they think will protect their home’s value by keeping out renters and more modest homes. They like their little wealthy enclaves.

I confess that I worked hard to keep more larger Victorian homes from being converted to more apartments because it would make my neighborhood less desirable. Not because of re terms per se but because such conversions are for student re talks which cram as many students as possible int formerly lovely homes which then are poorly maintained with yards converted to park in g lots, adding to congestion and changing former family friendly neighborhoods with great walkability into slums. My objections would be far less if they were family rentals. Our town desperately needs more family friendly rental properties.

There is nothing rich people tend to hate more than poor people.

If you mean me, well we purchased that home because it was the only one we could afford—and that just barely. I know that people think that rich people live in Victorian houses but where I live, rich people live on the outskirts of town and have big houses and big lots with really nice views and neighbors all similarly situated—about a quarter of a mile away.

 

[Jarhyn]

One thing I really hate is when people don't want apartments or smaller homes built in their neighborhoods. That's one thing I like about my little town. There are streets that have what could be called mansions just a few doors down from smaller modest homes, as well as nicely kept apartment buildings. I like it when people of different income levels are living near each other. You don't find that very often in the US, and liberals can be just as bad as any other group when it comes to the "Not in my backyard" attitude. The area in my town that is made up of mixed income housing is very popular and the homes have been increasing in value a lot over the past few years.

You don't find it very often because it makes the wealthier houses crime targets.

Bullshit. People in fancy expensive homes generally have more wealth and hence more influence and use that influence to do what they think will protect their home’s value by keeping out renters and more modest homes. They like their little wealthy enclaves.

I confess that I worked hard to keep more larger Victorian homes from being converted to more apartments because it would make my neighborhood less desirable. Not because of re terms per se but because such conversions are for student re talks which cram as many students as possible int formerly lovely homes which then are poorly maintained with yards converted to park in g lots, adding to congestion and changing former family friendly neighborhoods with great walkability into slums. My objections would be far less if they were family rentals. Our town desperately needs more family friendly rental properties.

There is nothing rich people tend to hate more than poor people.

If you mean me, well we purchased that home because it was the only one we could afford—and that just barely. I know that people think that rich people live in Victorian houses but where I live, rich people live on the outskirts of town and have big houses and big lots with really nice views and neighbors all similarly situated—about a quarter of a mile away.

No, I'm talking in general. Rich people tend to hate poor people, and will leave a neighborhood before they even live with someone who used to be poor but isn't anymore, or someone who is rich but doesn't care to act like they hate poor people.

Not talking about you, but about this tendency of the rich to seek to make poor people as invisible to themselves as possible

 

[Loren Pechtel]

One thing I really hate is when people don't want apartments or smaller homes built in their neighborhoods. That's one thing I like about my little town. There are streets that have what could be called mansions just a few doors down from smaller modest homes, as well as nicely kept apartment buildings. I like it when people of different income levels are living near each other. You don't find that very often in the US, and liberals can be just as bad as any other group when it comes to the "Not in my backyard" attitude. The area in my town that is made up of mixed income housing is very popular and the homes have been increasing in value a lot over the past few years.

You don't find it very often because it makes the wealthier houses crime targets.

Bullshit. People in fancy expensive homes generally have more wealth and hence more influence and use that influence to do what they think will protect their home’s value by keeping out renters and more modest homes. They like their little wealthy enclaves.

I confess that I worked hard to keep more larger Victorian homes from being converted to more apartments because it would make my neighborhood less desirable. Not because of re terms per se but because such conversions are for student re talks which cram as many students as possible int formerly lovely homes which then are poorly maintained with yards converted to park in g lots, adding to congestion and changing former family friendly neighborhoods with great walkability into slums. My objections would be far less if they were family rentals. Our town desperately needs more family friendly rental properties.

There is nothing rich people tend to hate more than poor people.

Reality:

https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5fe0ef8023c84a65f15eaffc/602e9d3eb4dec4fea842ad3c_Homeownership%20Impacts%20-%20Sean%20Krieg%20(2).pdf

Using American Community Survey data and Baton Rouge Police Department arrest records, this paper estimates that a 1 percentage point increase in homeownership rates results in a statistically significant decrease in violent crime incidents by 4.57% in relation to the East Baton Rouge average.

This is why homeowners don't like renters.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

That is because the roundabouts are not been used correctly. Roundabouts are best used as traffic flow management, not traffic flow control.
For example putting a roundabout on an intersection where 75% of the traffic is in a particular direction will not help the other 25% much as they are still held up. Lights in that situation are the best response. Where the traffic is about 50% any direction or maybe 40-60% they will work.
Roundabouts work best when used to slow traffic down or to guide traffic into certain streets or roads.

Which has a lot to do with why people don't like them--traffic calming measures are disliked by drivers.

Hey, in most situations the right answer is what we typically see around here: The high speed traffic is separated from residential areas. I can't think of a spot anywhere near here where even a 35 mph road has a house on it. Houses are on 25 mph roads that only see local traffic. Older parts of town can be more of an issue--the traffic situation and layout of the residential streets makes going through residential areas more desirable.

Some weeks ago I found myself in a part of town where the developer loves (it's new construction, they're still building) roundabouts. Yes, it meant never having to actually stop, but it slowed traffic below what the street warranted and in their quest to make it pedestrian friendly they actually ended up routing at least some through traffic (my objective was a hiking trail behind the development) through residential streets--there were no streets dedicated to traffic to be used.

 

[Toni]

One thing I really hate is when people don't want apartments or smaller homes built in their neighborhoods. That's one thing I like about my little town. There are streets that have what could be called mansions just a few doors down from smaller modest homes, as well as nicely kept apartment buildings. I like it when people of different income levels are living near each other. You don't find that very often in the US, and liberals can be just as bad as any other group when it comes to the "Not in my backyard" attitude. The area in my town that is made up of mixed income housing is very popular and the homes have been increasing in value a lot over the past few years.

You don't find it very often because it makes the wealthier houses crime targets.

Bullshit. People in fancy expensive homes generally have more wealth and hence more influence and use that influence to do what they think will protect their home’s value by keeping out renters and more modest homes. They like their little wealthy enclaves.

I confess that I worked hard to keep more larger Victorian homes from being converted to more apartments because it would make my neighborhood less desirable. Not because of re terms per se but because such conversions are for student re talks which cram as many students as possible int formerly lovely homes which then are poorly maintained with yards converted to park in g lots, adding to congestion and changing former family friendly neighborhoods with great walkability into slums. My objections would be far less if they were family rentals. Our town desperately needs more family friendly rental properties.

There is nothing rich people tend to hate more than poor people.

Reality:

https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5fe0ef8023c84a65f15eaffc/602e9d3eb4dec4fea842ad3c_Homeownership%20Impacts%20-%20Sean%20Krieg%20(2).pdf

Using American Community Survey data and Baton Rouge Police Department arrest records, this paper estimates that a 1 percentage point increase in homeownership rates results in a statistically significant decrease in violent crime incidents by 4.57% in relation to the East Baton Rouge average.

This is why homeowners don't like renters.

I have nothing at all against rentals. I was a renter my entire adult life until we purchased our first home. We were good renters. We were pushed into purchasing our first home when the management of our rental home shifted to someone who was absolutely unwilling to repair necessary appliances, resented our suggestion that we have it done at our own expense and deduct the amount of the repair from our rent---and at the same time decided to raise our rent to the level of a mortgage payment. I know today that many renters are paying the equivalent of a mortgage payment in a system that keeps them renters because they are unable to save enough for a down payment--which is many times what we needed as a down on our first home.

I do dislike landlords who are irresponsible and/or negligent, who do not maintain their properties, who do not vet their renters and who do push to allow the city to allow them to rent in substandard conditions. My city needs many more family rental units situated in single home neighborhoods and it needs to move students out of residential neighborhoods into apartments where they will be less taken advantage of by unscrupulous landlords and will have less responsibility for upkeep. 18 year olds do not belong in apartments. They simply are not mature enough to be good tenants and they are not mature enough to insist that the landlord be a good landlord.

 

[Jarhyn]

One thing I really hate is when people don't want apartments or smaller homes built in their neighborhoods. That's one thing I like about my little town. There are streets that have what could be called mansions just a few doors down from smaller modest homes, as well as nicely kept apartment buildings. I like it when people of different income levels are living near each other. You don't find that very often in the US, and liberals can be just as bad as any other group when it comes to the "Not in my backyard" attitude. The area in my town that is made up of mixed income housing is very popular and the homes have been increasing in value a lot over the past few years.

You don't find it very often because it makes the wealthier houses crime targets.

Bullshit. People in fancy expensive homes generally have more wealth and hence more influence and use that influence to do what they think will protect their home’s value by keeping out renters and more modest homes. They like their little wealthy enclaves.

I confess that I worked hard to keep more larger Victorian homes from being converted to more apartments because it would make my neighborhood less desirable. Not because of re terms per se but because such conversions are for student re talks which cram as many students as possible int formerly lovely homes which then are poorly maintained with yards converted to park in g lots, adding to congestion and changing former family friendly neighborhoods with great walkability into slums. My objections would be far less if they were family rentals. Our town desperately needs more family friendly rental properties.

There is nothing rich people tend to hate more than poor people.

Reality:

https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5fe0ef8023c84a65f15eaffc/602e9d3eb4dec4fea842ad3c_Homeownership%20Impacts%20-%20Sean%20Krieg%20(2).pdf

Using American Community Survey data and Baton Rouge Police Department arrest records, this paper estimates that a 1 percentage point increase in homeownership rates results in a statistically significant decrease in violent crime incidents by 4.57% in relation to the East Baton Rouge average.

This is why homeowners don't like renters.

I have nothing at all against rentals. I was a renter my entire adult life until we purchased our first home. We were good renters. We were pushed into purchasing our first home when the management of our rental home shifted to someone who was absolutely unwilling to repair necessary appliances, resented our suggestion that we have it done at our own expense and deduct the amount of the repair from our rent---and at the same time decided to raise our rent to the level of a mortgage payment. I know today that many renters are paying the equivalent of a mortgage payment in a system that keeps them renters because they are unable to save enough for a down payment--which is many times what we needed as a down on our first home.

I do dislike landlords who are irresponsible and/or negligent, who do not maintain their properties, who do not vet their renters and who do push to allow the city to allow them to rent in substandard conditions. My city needs many more family rental units situated in single home neighborhoods and it needs to move students out of residential neighborhoods into apartments where they will be less taken advantage of by unscrupulous landlords and will have less responsibility for upkeep. 18 year olds do not belong in apartments. They simply are not mature enough to be good tenants and they are not mature enough to insist that the landlord be a good landlord.

In some ways, I think that the state should be willing to subsidize dorm life, in the same way we should subsidize college in general.

People need an opportunity to live together in groups with some oversight that is not in any way tied to their parents.

There are important life skills that are learned living in such situations and even if someone does not go to college it is a valuable experience to have and something that would lift particular burdens off a wide variety of families.

It also puts them adjacent to educational resources, and gives every opportunity for folks to access those resources.

In addition, many folks who are 18 are turned out by their parents merely for having turned 18, and this would create a place for them to learn the next parts of being an independent adult.

 

[bilby]

A friend from Australia has told us that roundabouts are being torn out in Australia in favor of stop lights.

I have seen no particular evidence of this in Queensland.

Some poorly designed intersections (both stop light and roundabout) are being updated here, but typically they entail the construction of overpasses to improve through traffic flow, rather than the introduction of new stop lights.

 

[bilby]

And the punters Victorians are stupid enough to fall for it.

FTFY.

 

[ZiprHead]

One thing I really hate is when people don't want apartments or smaller homes built in their neighborhoods. That's one thing I like about my little town. There are streets that have what could be called mansions just a few doors down from smaller modest homes, as well as nicely kept apartment buildings. I like it when people of different income levels are living near each other. You don't find that very often in the US, and liberals can be just as bad as any other group when it comes to the "Not in my backyard" attitude. The area in my town that is made up of mixed income housing is very popular and the homes have been increasing in value a lot over the past few years.

You don't find it very often because it makes the wealthier houses crime targets.

Bullshit. People in fancy expensive homes generally have more wealth and hence more influence and use that influence to do what they think will protect their home’s value by keeping out renters and more modest homes. They like their little wealthy enclaves.

I confess that I worked hard to keep more larger Victorian homes from being converted to more apartments because it would make my neighborhood less desirable. Not because of re terms per se but because such conversions are for student re talks which cram as many students as possible int formerly lovely homes which then are poorly maintained with yards converted to park in g lots, adding to congestion and changing former family friendly neighborhoods with great walkability into slums. My objections would be far less if they were family rentals. Our town desperately needs more family friendly rental properties.

There is nothing rich people tend to hate more than poor people.

If you mean me, well we purchased that home because it was the only one we could afford—and that just barely. I know that people think that rich people live in Victorian houses but where I live, rich people live on the outskirts of town and have big houses and big lots with really nice views and neighbors all similarly situated—about a quarter of a mile away.

We have lots of victorian style homes here leftover from the lumber baron era. My wife's grandmother used to own one. She has fond memories of chasing her brothers and sisters up and down the three story staircases at the front and back of the house.

Her grandmother's home recently came up for sale. It's in a very bad neighborhood. To restore it it its former glory would require a half million dollars worth of remodeling. Being in the neighborhood it's in, it would never be worth the money. But at least it hasn't been subdivided into apartments.

 

[Toni]

One thing I really hate is when people don't want apartments or smaller homes built in their neighborhoods. That's one thing I like about my little town. There are streets that have what could be called mansions just a few doors down from smaller modest homes, as well as nicely kept apartment buildings. I like it when people of different income levels are living near each other. You don't find that very often in the US, and liberals can be just as bad as any other group when it comes to the "Not in my backyard" attitude. The area in my town that is made up of mixed income housing is very popular and the homes have been increasing in value a lot over the past few years.

You don't find it very often because it makes the wealthier houses crime targets.

Bullshit. People in fancy expensive homes generally have more wealth and hence more influence and use that influence to do what they think will protect their home’s value by keeping out renters and more modest homes. They like their little wealthy enclaves.

I confess that I worked hard to keep more larger Victorian homes from being converted to more apartments because it would make my neighborhood less desirable. Not because of re terms per se but because such conversions are for student re talks which cram as many students as possible int formerly lovely homes which then are poorly maintained with yards converted to park in g lots, adding to congestion and changing former family friendly neighborhoods with great walkability into slums. My objections would be far less if they were family rentals. Our town desperately needs more family friendly rental properties.

There is nothing rich people tend to hate more than poor people.

If you mean me, well we purchased that home because it was the only one we could afford—and that just barely. I know that people think that rich people live in Victorian houses but where I live, rich people live on the outskirts of town and have big houses and big lots with really nice views and neighbors all similarly situated—about a quarter of a mile away.

We have lots of victorian style homes here leftover from the lumber baron era. My wife's grandmother used to own one. She has fond memories of chasing her brothers and sisters up and down the three story staircases at the front and back of the house.

Her grandmother's home recently came up for sale. It's in a very bad neighborhood. To restore it it its former glory would require a half million dollars worth of remodeling. Being in the neighborhood it's in, it would never be worth the money. But at least it hasn't been subdivided into apartments.

Yeah, those old houses were really built to last! About 19-20 years ago, a huge storm partially uprooted and brought down a giant tree landing square on our roof beam. Cracked the beam which had to be replaced, along with the roof. Also cracked a little plaster in the living room. Guy who took the tree off our house said it was about 6 tons. Would have broken a new built house clean in two, all the way to the ground.

Ours is fairly modest in size, but there are some larger ones the next block over. Lumber baron built here, too. We’ve put … maybe a couple hundred thousand in updates/remodel/restoration into this house. Previous owners took out the back staircase because the dad had a hard time catching the kids who would run up the front stairs and then down the back stairs and out the door…

 

[southernhybrid]

One thing I really hate is when people don't want apartments or smaller homes built in their neighborhoods. That's one thing I like about my little town. There are streets that have what could be called mansions just a few doors down from smaller modest homes, as well as nicely kept apartment buildings. I like it when people of different income levels are living near each other. You don't find that very often in the US, and liberals can be just as bad as any other group when it comes to the "Not in my backyard" attitude. The area in my town that is made up of mixed income housing is very popular and the homes have been increasing in value a lot over the past few years.

You don't find it very often because it makes the wealthier houses crime targets.

Bullshit. People in fancy expensive homes generally have more wealth and hence more influence and use that influence to do what they think will protect their home’s value by keeping out renters and more modest homes. They like their little wealthy enclaves.

I confess that I worked hard to keep more larger Victorian homes from being converted to more apartments because it would make my neighborhood less desirable. Not because of re terms per se but because such conversions are for student re talks which cram as many students as possible int formerly lovely homes which then are poorly maintained with yards converted to park in g lots, adding to congestion and changing former family friendly neighborhoods with great walkability into slums. My objections would be far less if they were family rentals. Our town desperately needs more family friendly rental properties.

There is nothing rich people tend to hate more than poor people.

Reality:

https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5fe0ef8023c84a65f15eaffc/602e9d3eb4dec4fea842ad3c_Homeownership%20Impacts%20-%20Sean%20Krieg%20(2).pdf

Using American Community Survey data and Baton Rouge Police Department arrest records, this paper estimates that a 1 percentage point increase in homeownership rates results in a statistically significant decrease in violent crime incidents by 4.57% in relation to the East Baton Rouge average.

This is why homeowners don't like renters.

I have no idea who rents and who owns some of the houses on my street. I know there have been quite a few renters over the past ten years and none of them have been a problem. Some might have bought the homes by now. I don't know and I don't care. The only neighbors we ever had who were a problem were a large group of Trump supporting white people, who parked pick up trucks all over the front lawn and who played loud country music from those trucks sometimes for 20 or 30 minutes. They were supposedly buying the house and lived on my street for about 10 years. There must have been at least ten people living in a four bedroom home.

One day, they loaded up the trucks and moved out to a rural area, according to a neighbor who asked them where they were moving. We all celebrated. And, the best part of all is that a single, quiet Black man bought the house and has been living there now for over a year. So one home buyer in the past made it difficult for the rest of us. Not a single renter ever bothered anyone. Peace at last.

On what is considered one of the most desirable streets in my city, there are also a couple of apartment complexes. They are quiet and kept up well. The large mansion like homes are mixed in with some cute little homes that were built in the 30s and 40s. When a house goes up for sale on that street it usually sells quickly, so the idea that people hate renters sort of reminds me of the white flight thing that happened in the 50s, 60s and 70s, when stupid white people would leave a neighborhood because a black family moved in. Most renters aren't any different from most home buyers. And, my black neighbors aren't any different from my white neighbors. Actually some of my black neighbors are nicer. Just sayin'.

 

[Toni]

Things that at least some European countries have that I think the US would do well to institute:

Greater efficiency in appliances. When we remodeled our kitchen….13 years ago, we put in a good quality gas range. I briefly considered an induction range but I could t even see one in a display at an appliance store and the only person I know who had one lived a thousand d miles away—and didn’t cook. If I were to remodel again—and I’m not! I’d definitely consider an induction range. It would mean getting rid of some much beloved cast iron pots but I’d consider it. But generally speaking, most of Europe is far ahead of the US in terms of efficient appliances.

Also much better public transportation! It’s something I miss from the days when we lived near DC—abd ghats not as good as NYC or some other large cities’.

As for electric tea kettles: I just use a tea kettle on the stove top, but we have a coffee maker, and a microwave. I just find I don’t really wish to increase the number of things I have to plug in to use. A friend uses an electric pot for heating water for tea, unless she uses the microwave. I think it makes sense if you’re serving tea for several people or over a couple of hours but for my usage, it would be an indulgence. We didn’t have much money fir a long time and didn’t acrue a lot of appliances ces.

Much of Europe is more sensible than a lot of US citizens are with regards to clothing abd prefer quality over quantity. I personally blame Reagan with the very direct push towards consumerism. Sadly, we were taken in by this, with disastrous results.

I also admire the approach of work/life balance. Americans tend to be proud of how much we work and ignore the burden of stress that it puts on us s d our families and how it diminishes our quality of life.

I’d like to see us have health care coverage similar to many European countries. It would involve an extreme re-thinking of how we pay for health care, starting with how we pay for college/university/professional schools. We need many, many more doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants, pharmacists, and lab techs. And we need to do a much better job of educating people about how their bodies work, and how to take care of them, cradle to grave.

Being old and all, we watch PBS, which often brings over British tv shows, including Call The Midwife—definitely nostalgia based, but which depicts real community based health care, meeting patients where they are, literally.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

One thing I really hate is when people don't want apartments or smaller homes built in their neighborhoods. That's one thing I like about my little town. There are streets that have what could be called mansions just a few doors down from smaller modest homes, as well as nicely kept apartment buildings. I like it when people of different income levels are living near each other. You don't find that very often in the US, and liberals can be just as bad as any other group when it comes to the "Not in my backyard" attitude. The area in my town that is made up of mixed income housing is very popular and the homes have been increasing in value a lot over the past few years.

You don't find it very often because it makes the wealthier houses crime targets.

Bullshit. People in fancy expensive homes generally have more wealth and hence more influence and use that influence to do what they think will protect their home’s value by keeping out renters and more modest homes. They like their little wealthy enclaves.

I confess that I worked hard to keep more larger Victorian homes from being converted to more apartments because it would make my neighborhood less desirable. Not because of re terms per se but because such conversions are for student re talks which cram as many students as possible int formerly lovely homes which then are poorly maintained with yards converted to park in g lots, adding to congestion and changing former family friendly neighborhoods with great walkability into slums. My objections would be far less if they were family rentals. Our town desperately needs more family friendly rental properties.

There is nothing rich people tend to hate more than poor people.

Reality:

https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5fe0ef8023c84a65f15eaffc/602e9d3eb4dec4fea842ad3c_Homeownership%20Impacts%20-%20Sean%20Krieg%20(2).pdf

Using American Community Survey data and Baton Rouge Police Department arrest records, this paper estimates that a 1 percentage point increase in homeownership rates results in a statistically significant decrease in violent crime incidents by 4.57% in relation to the East Baton Rouge average.

This is why homeowners don't like renters.

Agreed, the owners should either live in the home or sell it... to people like those that rent it.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

This is why homeowners don't like renters.

Agreed, the owners should either live in the home or sell it... to people like those that rent it.

Which would turn those who are frequently mobile or have bad enough credit into homeless individuals.

On a more local level--the house to the east of us the owners downsized, it was sold to someone who rented it out. All the landscaping is dead, the yard has weeds galore (and I'm having to pull more weeds than I've ever had to before) and the renters got evicted.

 

[Tigers!]

Being old more mature and all, we watch PBS, which often brings over British tv shows, including Call The Midwife—definitely nostalgia based, but which depicts real community based health care, meeting patients where they are, literally.

FIFY