In the end, stop signs end up being treated like yield signs.
This definitely varies based on where in the US you are. In California almost no one comes to a complete stop. (That's probably why rolling through a stop sign is called a "California Roll"). But in many other parts of the country people do, even if there are no cars around.
Some of this may be that stop signs in California tend to be more superfluous.
In New England & NYC, a 4-way stop is usually used for urban neighborhoods where single-lane, low-traffic streets meet. Roundabouts and slip lanes are space-prohibitive in these situations (they'd have to go through privately-owned lots), traffic lights are overkill given the light traffic, and visibility is insufficient for a safe 2-way stop or yield.
In CA and other western states, these same neighborhoods are usually suburban houses with lawns, and even the apartment buildings have setbacks from the street. A yield would work fine, but either for habit or consistency, it's signed as a 4-way stop. Drivers feel like they have good visibility and it should be a yield, though, and so they roll through it.
While I may California Roll occasionally, at a yield sign I may not slow at all, or only slow enough to safely make a turn. So there's definitely a difference between the two, even if you treat the stop sign as "just a guideline". Stop means go slow enough that you can make a complete stop if you see police in the intersection. "Oops, missed the limit line by a couple feet, but I was totally always gonna stop."
>In California almost no one comes to a complete stop. (That's probably why rolling through a stop sign is called a "California Roll").
It probably depends on where in CA. Have been living in Bay Area, mid-Peninsula, for 18 years and i've so far seen most people (and myself included) do complete stops. And just recently saw police stopped and cited a cyclist for the "California Roll" in Los Altos.
In my experience driving through many states in the eastern part of the US, it's not really any different compared to your description of how drivers in California deal with stop signs.
This definitely varies based on where in the US you are. In California almost no one comes to a complete stop. (That's probably why rolling through a stop sign is called a "California Roll"). But in many other parts of the country people do, even if there are no cars around.