Canada & America still share a lot of the same habits. However, some of the routines on either side of the border have changed over time, whether because of government rules or changes in technology. Some habits disappeared from Canada but still remain in the United States.
Here are ten American habits that Canada outgrew, and the reasons why these disappeared. You might be surprised to learn how different life is in either country. Which of these changes feels the most noticeable to you?
Smoking indoors at bars and restaurants
You won’t find any Canadians smoking indoors at restaurants or bars. It’s because the provinces banned smoking in enclosed workplaces & public venues, although the U.S. is yet to follow suit.
Smoke-free coverage isn’t uniform across the whole country. In fact, some states still allow Americans to smoke in certain bars or hospitality spaces, as they’re yet to follow the same restrictions that we have.
Smoking in cars with kids
That’s not all for smoking. It’s illegal to light up in a car with children in the backseat in many different territories & provinces.
These rules restrict smoking in vehicles when minors are present, and that completely changed the habits of quite a few Canadians.
Only a few American states have similar bans. As such, smoking in personal vehicles with kids still happens a lot more regularly over there than it does in Canada.
Signing for payments
Canadian card payments made the shift towards chip-and-PIN much faster than America did. As a result, you don’t need to sign for everyday purchases like you do in the States; most people can just tap their card or phone.
Chip cards & contactless payments make the entire process much easier. But in America, chip-and-signature payments are as common now as they were ten years ago.
Buying a weekly TV listing magazine
Yes, the habit of buying a TV listing magazine has declined in both countries. But it’s fallen far more in Canada than in the United States.
TV Guide Canada stopped producing a print edition of the magazine in the mid-2000s due to a lack of consumer interest.
However, TV Guide Magazine in the United States continues to publish physical issues. You can even get copies of the magazine at newsstands, unlike in Canada.
Keeping a printed phone book at home
A similar habit we’ve lost is holding onto a White Pages or Yellow Pages to look up phone numbers. The majority of Canadian directory companies have stopped automatically delivering them. Instead, they rely on a request-only distribution, and only in a few areas.
But printed phone books are still distributed in many places in America. It’s far more common to keep a physical directory over there than it is in Canada.
Drinking full-sugar soda
It didn’t matter whether we were at home or at restaurants because Canadians used to have sugary soft drinks far more regularly than they do now. But not so much anymore.
Consumption of these drinks has fallen in Canada as people have become more aware of the health issues.
Yet the rate of full-sugar soda intake in the United States is still much higher per capita. It’s completely normal to drink regular soda with every meal in America, unlike in Canada.
Drinking bottled water
Interestingly, the move away from full-sugar soda hasn’t pushed Canadians towards drinking more bottled water. They tend to rely on tap or filtered water instead.
According to survey data, Canadians are far more likely to choose tap water while Americans stick to bottled water.
The overall consumption of bottled water is much higher in the United States than Canada. That’s not to say that they drink more water than we do. It’s simply more bottled water.
Drinking flavored milk
Another drink that’s less popular here is flavored milk. Plain milk & non-dairy options have exploded in popularity here, more so than in America, and you’re less likely to find people drinking flavored milk.
It’s the opposite in America. Sure, alternative kinds of milk are popular, but flavored milk is still widely consumed in America at home & in schools.
Eating hot dogs and processed meats multiple times per week
Dietary surveys have found that Canadians are much less likely than Americans to consume processed meat on a given day. That includes things like hot dogs.
Intake of processed meat remains higher & more routine south of the border.
They’re more likely to eat deli meats & other forms of processed meat than we are, maybe because of our awareness of health problems associated with these foods.
Going to religious services monthly
It’s a fact that the number of people going to religious services each month has fallen in both Canada & America. But the rate of the decline is much sharper in Canada.
43% of Canadians went to religious gatherings monthly in 1985, and numbers fell to 23% in 2019.
However, recent data from the USA shows that 33% of Americans still go to religious services at least once a month. It seems that Canadians aren’t as supportive of religion as Americans are.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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