It is surprising to see that very few people from both sides associate authority with something positive. And the word does not seem to be interepreted in its meaning of intellectual weight (maybe only in the case of "parents"). There is also a lot of violence associated with the word especially on the French part - army, opression, dictatorship, fear, submission. In addition, the Americans seem to attribute authority to individuals (boss, president, mayor, dictator, politicians, old men, teachers), while the French associate it more with institutions.

I think Americans have a greater tendency to criticize their government. You can see that many words reflect this: ignorance, insincere, uninformed, mean. Not all Americans agree with the policies of our government, but the government does not seek to squelch this. I see words on the french list like oppression, absolutism, fear, constraints, dictator. Do these reflect that you feel your civil liberties are lacking? If so, what do you wish that the government, police, or your parents would allow?

je crois tout simplement que les français sont majoritairement intéréssé par la politique de leur pays et qu'ils osent donner leur point de vue sur ce sujet. Nous percevons l'autorité comme quelque chose qui pourrait devenir excéssif et atteindre nos libertés. Je crois qu'il est important pour nous de sauvegarder nos libertés et de les faire évoluer vers une société plus égalitaire. Nous sommes peut être plus revendicatif !