About the current situations of intellectuals and attitude towards intellectualism

I wonder why intellectuals in Europe receive more attention than those in the U.S.? As a part of my college class discussion, we mention the difference between aristocratic Europe and democratic America plays a role here - intellectual elites are seen as a threat where the value of equality is highly valued. So what determines the popularity of intellectuals in a society? Is it true that anti-intellectualism is prevalent today?