I don't know what your definition of USA is, but here in eastern Massachusetts I have had spin outs on regular roads while driving FWD cars in snow. Ever since I started driving an AWD vehicle, I had zero skids/spin outs in similar conditions.
So, my personal experience is quite contrary to your opinion. In fact, we are buying a second vehicle now and one of the critical requirements is 4WD/AWD, esp since we don't know how much snow the coming winter will bring.
That's probably a difference in suspension/tires/balance rather than drivetrain. With front biased AWD (very common setup) you have to apply power to maintain attitude in a skid, just like FWD.
So, my personal experience is quite contrary to your opinion. In fact, we are buying a second vehicle now and one of the critical requirements is 4WD/AWD, esp since we don't know how much snow the coming winter will bring.