I would submit that the difference you describe is partly because the US is so much bigger that each person has proportionally less control, and partly because

I would submit that the difference you describe is partly because the US is so much bigger that each person has proportionally less control, and partly because Quebec is more socially cohesive than the US. The state of Oregon has a similar pro-government, pro-social welfare mentality. In their case, it's for kind of a dark reason; Oregon's historical racism makes for a more socially cohesive polity[1]. But in Quebec's case I think it's just a sense that other Québécois are family, and so services that only benefit other people still benefit everyone. [1] http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/05/welfare-utopia/484607/ http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/05/welfare-...