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and Matt's response is very interesting ... still:  those yuppies are the ones paying the bill, and if they sign off with gusto, then that's an argument not to be minimized.
Two things that would kick the ball down the field for me:
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1.  I could ask 10 people at Boeing what they think of the free U.S. K-12 system and they would all say they love it.  Despite its popularity, I believe it's becoming a pox on our society, a parasite there to serve the NEA's interests.  America is being dumbed down by the decade and indoctrinated to "values clarification" synch'ed to values held by NEA leaders.  "In the absence of criticism, an institution comes to serve only itself."
Personally I would argue that all ten of these folks are not very alert to the systemic costs of our K-12 education.  (My own children went through a hybrid of home schooling, public schooling, charter-type schooling, and higher ed, so I'm one of the few who has lived in all educational worlds, LOL.)
There aren't many confident political positions I have, but one of them is this:  a free market K-12 education system would make the world a far better place to live.
But your report is more like --- > people coming from countries where charter schools are the norm, and preferring our K-12 system.  (They still might not connect the taxation/system issues/etc.)
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2.  Still:  the UK is (as I understand it) very primarily capitalist -- for example, its banking network boggles the mind.  But in the abstract, free health care doesn't NECESSARILY imply a bent for socialism/communism, any more than our free K-12 system does.
I couldn't agree more with Matt, that about 25% of the population, 70% of the internet, and 98% of the media are looking for fairly extreme paternalistic government - and very extreme income redistribution.  Most people I meet on the 'net hate Corporate America on principle, and definitely the NYT does.
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But England and Japan are very interesting, and thanks for the feedback on the UK.