Mais oui: Most Americans admire the French way of life
St. Pierre
Mais oui : Most Americans admire the French way of life
More than half of Americans admire the French way of life, with their love of fresh ingredients, arts and culture, and a good work/life balance at the top of the list, bakery brand St. Pierre reports.
A poll of 2,000 U.S. adults from July 2-9 found 29% love the French for their preference for fresh food over processed items, while the same percentage appreciate the French love of arts and culture.
French work practices are also admired by many — with 60% believing the French have a better work/life balance, compared to just 10% for Americans.
More than one in five (22%) respect the French commitment to clocking off work at their contracted time, and 22% like how they protect lunch breaks as a “sacred time.”
Their sense of style and enjoyment of fine cuisine are also among the things Americans admire about the French.
It also emerged that 22% of those polled would love to adopt certain aspects of French culture into their own lives — with the most envied areas being food, time for hobbies and interests, and taking longer lunch breaks.
Meanwhile, 21% have taken onboard French attitudes to romance, with the same number trying to be more humble.
The research also found 29% of Americans consider it “unlikely” that French people admire any parts of the American lifestyle.
And 42% would even like to hop across the Atlantic permanently and live in France someday.
But if U.S. citizens were to present American food to other countries, they’d be most proud to offer a meaty cheeseburger (27%) or fried chicken (27%).
Nearly as many (26%) are as proud of barbecue ribs, and 22% would opt to show off a classic American apple pie.
But one in four of the Americans surveyed via OnePoll admit they get most of their information about the French lifestyle from social media like Instagram or TikTok, while 19% pick it up from YouTube.
Top 20 things Americans admire about the French lifestyle
- Eating fresh ingredients
- Love of arts and culture
- The ideal work/life balance
- Making time to enjoy meals
- Enjoying the best moments in life
- Being romantics
- Appreciating fine cuisine
- Overall better diet than the Americans
- Better food and drink standards than America
- Sense of style
- Ditching processed foods
- Living humbly
- Taking in their surroundings rather than rushing through the city
- Making time for hobbies and interests
- Making time for cooking
- Better food and drink options than America
- Being authentic
- Passionate about interests
- Good etiquette skills
- Making every mealtime an occasion
This story was produced by St. Pierre and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
