As a Brit, ‘jaywalking’ is so alien to me. I once jaywalked in front of a police car who stopped and waved/signalled me across the road! Whenever I’m overseas, crossing anywhere when the road is clear is second nature to me and I have to remind myself not to. Conversely, you can always spot a foreigner in the UK: they’re the ones waiting for the signal at a deserted crossing at 2am.
I'd say the most common rule across Europe would be "you can cross anywhere as long as you're not within X meters of a crosswalk". As in if there is one within your line of sight, it's there for a reason and you should use it. If there isn't one, cross away.
In the US this is very regional. In NYC, you never weight a light. In places like Seattle (just as one example) and lots of other places, it's considered very rude to not wait.
