A cross-cultural/cross-national study of influencing factors and socially desirable response biases

Questionnaires are a frequently employed method of data collection and construct measurement in cross-cultural/cross-national marketing research. While offering many advantages, the use of questionnaires in such research often encounters factors which have a negative impact on measurement reliability and validity. One of these common problem factors is a social desirability bias. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in underlying influencing factors which contribute to the social desirability bias reported by respondents across different cultural/national samples. The results show that the influencing factors which contribute to the existence of a social desirability bias also vary across countries and cultures. Based on these findings, implications for international research and business decision-making are discussed.