American Culture

Core Concepts

Greetings
  • Greetings are usually informal in social settings.
  • First names are often used in initial introductions.
  • A handshake is the common greeting. Being the first person to offer your hand reflects confidence.
  • In a business/formal setting, give a firm handshake and hold eye contact.If you are a newcomer, take the initiative to introduce yourself. Depending on the situation, your American counterpart may expect you to do it yourself.
  • An introduction is not always necessary in casual settings, but is sometimes assumed that people will get to know each other as they mingle. Handshaking can also seem forced and awkward in this context.
  • People may hug to greet close friends or kiss one another on the cheek.
  • When meeting people, Americans often describe themselves by their occupation.

Religion

Family

Naming

Dates of Significance

Etiquette

Do's and Don'ts

Communication

Other Considerations

Business Culture

Americans in Australia

References
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The United States
  • Population
    323,995,528
    [July 2016 est.]
  • Languages
    English (79%)
    Spanish (13%)
    Other Indo-European languages (3.7%)
    Asian and Pacific Island languages (3.4%)
    Other (1%)
    [2015 est.]
    Note: Data represent the language spoken at home.
  • Religions
    Protestant Christianity (46.5%)
    Catholic Christianity (20.8%)
    No Religion (22.8%)
    Mormon (1.6%)
    Judaism (1.9%)
    Christianity [ndf] (1.7%)
    Other (4.7%)
    [2014 est.]
  • Ethnicities
    White (72.4%)
    Black or African American (12.6%)
    Asian (4.8%)
    Native American or Alaskan Native (0.9%)
    Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (0.2%)
    Latino or Hispanic (16.3%)
    [2010 est.]
    Note: The category of "Hispanic or Latino" is considered by the U.S. Census Bureau to be separate from racial categories as people of this origin may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.).
  • Cultural Dimensions
    Power Distance
    40
    Individualism
    91
    Masculinity
    62
    Uncertainty Avoidance
    46
    Long Term Orientation
    26
    Indulgence
    68
    What's this?
  • Australians with American Ancestry
    66,556 [2016 census]
Americans in Australia
  • Population
    86,125
    [2016 census]
    This figure refers to the number of Australian residents that were born in the United States.
  • Average Age
    38
  • Gender
    Male (49.6%)
    Female (50.4%)
  • Religion
    No Religion (32%)
    Catholic Christianity (19.3%)
    Anglican Christianity (7%)
    Other (36.3%)
  • Ancestry
    American (23.4%)
    English (16.1%)
    Irish (9.8%)
    German (9.3%)
    Other (41.4%)
  • Language Spoken at Home
    English (91.5%)
    Spanish (1.2%)
    Mandarin (0.6%)
    Arabic (0.5%)
    Other (6.1%)
    Of those who speak a language other than English at home, 94.9% speak English fluently.
  • Diaspora
    New South Wales (34.5%)
    Western Australia (21.9%)
    Queensland (20.5%)
    Western Australia (11.5%)
  • Arrival to Australia
    Prior to 2001 (50.8%)
    2001-2006 (18.1%)
    2007-2011 (27%)
Country https://dtbhzdanf36fd.cloudfront.net/countries/139/us.svg Flag Country United States of America