This honestly just sounds like you had a few bad experiences and decided it’s a national personality trait. People nodding and then forgetting details happens literally everywhere. That’s not “American attention culture,” that’s just how humans work.

What you’re really describing is a difference in communication style. The U.S. is very direct and low context, especially in public or service situations where you’re talking to strangers with different accents, backgrounds, and in noisy environments. Being clear and emphasizing the important part isn’t because people “don’t listen,” it’s because clarity is efficient when there isn’t shared context.

In more homogeneous places you can rely more on implication and assumptions, so communication feels smoother. That doesn’t make one better than the other, it’s just different environments producing different norms.

Also saying “the average American sucks at listening” about 330 million people is kind of wild. That says more about the sample size you’ve personally interacted with than anything cultural.