I guess Hard seems to match the desperate world in the game better, which is why I like it. It's also a different way to play the game, making you use everything you have instead of hoarding it, even moreso in Survivor mode. Dat lack of shivs.
Survival has been ridiculously easy for me after my experience with hard mode. The lack of shivs does not phase me at all. I only use them for shiv doors since clickers are super easy to kill with bricks.