Culture's Influence on Consumer Behaviors: Differences among Ethnic Groups in a Multiracial Asian Country

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of culture on various aspects of consumer behavior in an integrative framework among the three ethnic groups in Singapore. Using the Hofstede’s (1980) cultural framework, differences in their cultural orientation are hypothesized. Then, for each cultural dimension, related consumer behaviors are identified and differences in those behaviors are hypothesized according to the predicted differences in each related cultural dimension. Although the results seem to suggest that culture may be one of the major factors that influence the consumption behaviors, the strong evidence for the link between the Hofstede’s framework and the related consumer behaviors is not observed in this study.