Consumers' Attitudes toward Marketing: A Cross-cultural Study of China and Canada

Previous research has attributed the differences in consumer attitudes toward marketing between countries to either the lifecycle of consumerism development or cultural values such as individualism. We conduct a cross-cultural study of China and Canada to test the two competing hypotheses. The survey results suggest that Chinese consumers are more positive about marketing and have a higher level of satisfaction than their Canadian counterparts. But the Chinese report more problems with marketing and less positive attitudes toward consumerism than the Canadians. While Chinese consumers are less likely to complain or engage in negative word-of-mouth, they are more supportive of government actions and public resolution. Consumerism and individualism have significant negative correlations with consumer attitudes toward marketing for the Canadians, but not for the Chinese. The cross-cultural variations may reflect the cultural values (i.e., individualism) and the role of government institutions, which are different between the two countries. These findings have significant implications for managing customer relationships in different countries and for interpreting the differences in consumer attitudes in cross-cultural studies.