This page is one of the annex pages of www.understandfrance.org, the foremost site on Franco-American intercultural differences. It contains documents, facts and figures illustrating the content of some of its pages.

Facts & figures

This page contains Facts and Figures about France and the French. Some are significant, other less so.... France and America

(credit)

France and America compared		Compared Health policy results : France vs. US
What we have in common is more important than what divides us.... (Poll July 2004, Figaro Magazine)    France  USA  What we have in common is more important than our disagreements  68%  55%  Our disagreements are more important than what we have in common  29%  34%  I don't know  3%  11% People killed by firearms in 2011 (Source : Unodc The Guardian, cited by Le Figaro Dec.17,2012) Brazil : 18,1 killed per 100,000 inhabitants Mexico : 9,97 USA : 2,97 Canada : 0,51 Germany : 0,19 France : 0,06		Life expectancy at birth (including number of additional years since 1960) Japan : 83 (15,2) Italy : 81,8 (12) Sweden : 81,4 (8,3) France : 81 years (10,7 years) UK : 80,4 (9,6) Germany : 80,3 (11,2) USA : 78,2 years (8,3 years)   Expenses for Health (as % of GNP) USA : 17,4% France : 11,8% Germany : 11,6% Sweden : 10% UK : 9,8% Italy : 9,5% Japan : 8,5%   Infant mortality (per 1,000 births) Japan : 2,4 Sweden : 2,5 Germany : 3,5 Italy : 3,7 France : 3,9 UK : 4,6 USA : 6,5   % of patients who give up a treatment because of its cost (as a % of of patients with income inferior to average income) UK : 4% Sweden : 14% France : 17% Germany : 27% USA : 39% (Source : OECD, Panorama de la Santé, 2011)

• A comparative poll (IPSOS,/JDD May 2004) : "Are you favorable to the following measures ?" (with a grey background and an "*" for the biggests differences between French and Americans) :

Are you favorable to.....?	French	American	Is this word positive for you ?	French	American
Abortion*	84	54	Stock-option*	24	75
Euthanasia*	71	38	Profit*	56	86
Death penalty*	37	64	Capitalism*	40	64
No religious signs in schools*	54	32	Socialism*	56	38
Adoption in homosexual couples	34	47	Stock exchange*	54	75
Prohibiting GMO	47	31	Protectionnism	43	58
No more nucluar power plants	47	37	Globalization	43	57
Easier access for political refugees	42	34	Civil servant	65	76
Legalize illegal immigrants*	35	69	Open market	64	55
Legalize marijuana	26	31	Privatization	51	60
Prohibit pornographic movies on TV	47	55	Labor union	69	60
Marriage for gays	44	40	Competition	81	87
Research on genetical cloning	26	31	Public sector	73	68
			State	72	69

Back to "intercultural"

• See another comparative poll about market economy : a majority of the Frenche answer it has no future !