Some young American workers are moving to Europe in hopes of a healthier and happier life.

  • Doherz@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Depends entirely on your values and perspective

    If you’re coming from the upper echelons of US income then it might not.

    Otherwise you’ll potentially find the increase in quality of life to be significant.

    Americans work too much, commute to much and don’t take enough holidays. Europeans work significantly less hours day to day, have significantly shorter commutes on average and have legally required and protected minimum annual leave that vastly outstrips US workers.

    E.g. Take myself and a US friend in a very similar job into account. Yes he earns roughly double what I do.

    • However I average 10-15 hours less work a week than he does.
    • My commute is half what his is and I have actual public transport options that aren’t trash if my car broke down.
    • I get 38 days of paid leave a year. 8 national holidays and the time between Christmas and Jan 1st by default… That leaves me with 27 days to use with some degree of freedom. He’s lucky if he takes ten days total per year.
    • I get private healthcare but also know that if that was removed from my benefits I’d have access to state healthcare without the risk of bankruptcy.

    Those listed things are just employment based. Culture is also a factor. I’ve never once worried about being shot in my entire life. Our food quality standards are higher whilst also costing significantly less. We don’t have the institutionalised national self delusion of tipping culture. Our religious and crazy right wing aren’t politically powerful enough to be dragging us kicking and screaming inti the 18th century like the US is. We aren’t completely and utterly dependent on cars, so being car free is a viable way to live.

    My final note is this. I’m not some US hating zealot. I literally booked flights for a two week holiday in the US yesterday. I adore the NBA and find American people to be absolutely lovely on average. But I couldn’t live the way most Americans do.

    • saberstan@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      What always seemed strange to me: Every single US-American I’ve ever personally met (in Europe or the US) has always been nothing but polite, helpful and friendly. But 300 million of them (mayby together with historcal ballast) create this political system that seems to be rather counterproductive for raising the average standard of living (emphasis on average, if you are in the top 10%, USA seems to be a nice place to be).

      I do concede, that the average standard of living is still impressive, but the continual improvement of the 50s and 60s seems to have stopped