That's a really good question. I'm probably not thinking of it the right way but I tend to lump together individual, private industry and governmental destructi

That's a really good question. I'm probably not thinking of it the right way but I tend to lump together individual, private industry and governmental destruction of public property. I would start by looking at vandalism and property crime numbers, the difference in maintenance between US section 8 landlords and European social housing management. Another indicator could be how well we maintain roads and other infrastructure. One difference I really notice between Scandinavians and Americans on the issue of public infrastructure is they tend to be more willing to pay higher taxes because they clearly understand the benefit they get. Just on roadways, I don't remember any potholes as we drove some 4000 km on our trip. We saw a handful graffiti tagging (only in Helsinki). We stayed in a hostel that I believe also doubled as social housing and it was clean, kept in good repair. the people were polite and the usual Scandinavian reserved. Don't get me started on the difference between US (Third World light) and European airports.