Is Australia closer to the UK or US?

[Östsvensk]

Culturally, mentally and in terms of society? What do you think?

[Rumata]

Australia closer to US in that regard that both are derivative from UK to a big extent. Well it was obvious but it's important.

[Incal]

Good question. 50/50 I'd say.

[Incal]

Dub

[Creoda]

Culturally, mentally and in terms of society? What do you think?
Since you asked, what do you think and why?

[Östsvensk]

Since you asked, what do you think and why?

No particular reason. I just saw an argument about it on another forum. The Australian member thought it was the US.

As for me, I think I see more similarities with the UK.

[PlattitüdenPaule]

Ireland with a bit of Southern US from my experience.

[Creoda]

No particular reason. I just saw an argument about it on another forum. The Australian member thought it was the US.

As for me, I think I see more similarities with the UK.
Well culture, mentality and society are rather broad terms. You'd need to break them down to assess.

Government - Britain. Australia is a constutional monarchy and has the Westminster system of Parliament, though it does have a US-like aspect with the Senate.

Law - Britain. Australian law is basically English common law implanted in Australia with some tweaks since Federation, US Law has diverged a lot more

Welfare - Britain. Australia has Universal Healthcare like the UK and more generous welfare (it can afford to with its population)

Schools/Universities - Britain. Suffice to say the Australian school curriculum is more like the British (and students wear uniforms). US college culture is alien. Only a small percentage of university students live on campus.

Food & Drink - Britain. There is a lot of American influence obviously, but Australians and British have a mostly familiar food/drink culture, Americans have diverged much more. An Australian pub is more similar to a British pub than an American bar.

Sports culture - Britain. Australians mostly play and follow British sports (aside from Aussie Rules), the only popular US sport is Basketball.

Measurements - Britain. Australia like Britain mostly uses the metric system nowadays, while Americans ironically mostly use the imperial system

Currency - USA. Australians trade in Dollars and Cents rather than Pounds, Shillings and Pence, since 1966.

Road laws - Britain. Australians drive on the left-hand side of the road.

Public transport - Britain. Australians (mostly urban) use public transport far more than Americans, who seem to avoid it like the plague

Class - USA. Australia isn't class obsessed and socially stratified like Britain, like Americans they don't usually identify with it, because the origins of most of the population is working class, in the same boat.

Race relations - Britain. Australians like Americans have a troublesome native population, but nothing like the intensity of the black vs white relationship in the US exists in Australia or Britain, historically or presently

Gun culture - Britain. Australian gun laws are obviously more like Britain, and Australians like British regularly tut at US gun culture and violence (not that I approve)

Dress - Probably more similar to the US, because of the climate.

Architecture - Hard to say. Maybe equidistant, but traditionally more British. Australian skylines look more American with their skyscrapers.

Urban/suburban landscapes - USA. Wide roads and footpaths, large gardens, urban sprawl, a lack of nightmarish hi-rise public housing and terraced housing like the UK

Accent and vocabulary - Britain. Americans often confuse Australian and cockney accents for a reason. Australian slang is similar to British, as well as having rhyming slang. Australian standard spelling is the same as British, not the American way.

Humour - Britain. Australians and British have a similar piss-taking banter, not so much for Americans.

Insularity - Britain. Despite both being from islands, Australians like the British are generally more knowledgeable about foreign countries and well-travelled than Americans

Population - Britain. Australian demographics are far more similar to Britain's. The US with it's 300+ million people, marginal white majority and large Spanish speaking population is incomparable. The White population of Australia is also mostly of British origin, unlike the US.

Mentality - USA but you'd have to specify what you mean by mentality. Australians are more positive, optimistic and straightforward like Americans.

[Creoda]

https://objectivelists.com/2022/03/26/which-countries-are-most-similar-to-australia/
https://i.postimg.cc/MT1Jy0cs/Screenshot-2023-05-07-052559.png

[Smeagol]

Ireland with a bit of Southern US from my experience.

Our Southland is unique. I don't see much of a cultural commonality between the Southern states and any part of the modern Anglosphere really.

[PlattitüdenPaule]

Our Southland is unique. I don't see much of a cultural commonality between the Southern states and any part of the modern Anglosphere really.

Rural Dixie culture is more akin to rural Irish and German ones, thats why I said "a bit".

[oszkar07]

Is Australia closer to the UK or US?

Culturally, mentally and in terms of society? What do you think?

Historically I would say much closer to UK up untill the 1950's.

Gradually increasing influence by the US since the 1960's.

These days probably more influenced by the US for young generations especially.

[Graham]

Remember The UK also has been heavily influenced by the US in the last 50 years.

Australians understand Self-deprecating humor and talking worse to your mates than your enemies. That qualifies them more to the UK than the US