Comparative Analysis

Americans are different from Germans not just culturally, but economically.  Each country has their own spending habits that reflects on their cultural values.  In 2011, Americans spent an estimated $11 trillion on shopping.  To put that in perspective, you can purchase roughly 300 private islands, 2000 aircraft carriers, and still have some left over (Reilly, 2012).  In terms of population comparison, as of the 2010 census, 80.7% of the US population lives in an urban area (Berg, 2012), and the estimated total population by 2030 is 359.4 million (Colby & Ortman, 2015).  When comparing to German statistics (73.7% urban population and predicted 2030 population of 61.7 million), this shows that the United States is growing exponentially more than Germany.  While Germans tend to purchase with an ideal to respect their bodies, the earth, and have a desire for a healthy, enriching, and beneficial lifestyle, Americans have a more self-focused shopping pattern.  In 2012, Americans spent $96 billion on beer, $1.4 billion on teeth whiteners, $310 million on pet Halloween costumes, and $2.3 billion on tattoos (Reilly, 2012).  American and German consumers do have their similarities, some examples include “athleisure” and decreased brand loyalty and increased desire to purchase locally sourced goods.  In terms of transportation, American consumers still prefer driving their own vehicle while German consumers tend to use more public transportation ("Public Transport in Germany").  These factors correlate strongly with the German consumption patterns focusing on being a responsible consumer.  While Americans try their best to change their habits and reduce their carbon footprint, this reliance on cars will give Germany the upper hand.

 *In both Germany and America, other languages besides the official languages are spoken. In Germany, besides speaking German, they also speak Danish, North and Sater Frisian, Romani, and Upper and Lower Sorbian. In America, besides speaking English, they also speak Spanish, French, Chinese, and Tagalog (Burton, 2017). Religion in America and Germany are relatively similar, with the Christian faith being the most practiced religion. Both countries have roughly 70% of their population practicing Christianity in some form. America has about the same percentage of the population who identify as Jewish as the Germans, however Germany has a bigger percentage of people from the Islamic faith.  Americans and Germans have entirely different views on work-life balance. While the Germans believe in having a strict work-life balance, Americans tend to have a work-only approach. Germans do not work when it is their leisure time and take time off, while Americans bring work home with them and tend to not use their time off. (Leonard, 2015). With that in mind, Americans generally work longer hours than their German counterparts. The German workforce has 50% of their workers working 40 or more hours per week, while the American workforce has about 70% of their workers working 40 or more hours a week (Buffie & Merling, 2016). However, both countries are strict on punctuality. It is frowned upon to be late in both Germany and America, and it is best to actually arrive a few minutes before your scheduled time. Germans value their education much more than Americans, with education being one of the primary factors in one’s social status. Because of their strong emphasis on education, the price of higher education is significantly cheaper than the US. Tuition at public universities in Germany is usually no more than $320 per semester, while the average tuition at public US universities is $9,970 per semester. (Bridgestock, 2018).

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