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Marieke de Mooij

Table 7.2 Textual orientation: Power distance, individualism, and uncertainty avoidance.
Written communication
preferences

Power distance

Individualism

Uncertainty
avoidance

Europe
1970: More than 8 books read in
past year

.23

.58*

.63**

1991: More than 12 books read

in past year

.31

.72***

.68***

1998: Reading a book at least

once a month

.89***

.62*

.84***

2005: Average time spent

reading newspapers

.59***

.44*

.75***

2007: Read 5 books in past year

.43*

.57***

.79***

2007: Teletext first source or

information for new and
current affairs

.55*

.63**

2008: Newspapers first source

ofinformation on
environmental issues

.74***

2008: Internet activities: e-mail

or IM

.56***

.36*

2008: Clear written information

best way to protect
consumers

.34*

.63***

Asia
2008: Mean hours per week
reading newspapers
2008: Use e-mail

.71*

.86***
.80*

Source: Hofstede etal. (2010); data 1970 and 1991: Readers Digest; data 1998: Eurostat (2001); data
2005: ESS Round 3: European Social Survey Round 3 Data (2006); data 2007: Eurobarometer (2007),
The European Media and Marketing Survey (2007); data 2008: Eurobarometer (2008c), Eurobarometer
(2008a), Eurobarometer (2008b); data Asia: Synovate (2008).

networking sites are most popular in collectivistic cultures, but the way they are used
varies with long-/short-term orientation. In short-term oriented cultures, for
example, people have many friends, which is a form of self-enhancement; this is not
so in long-term oriented cultures. Whereas Brazilians have on average 360 friends,
and Americans 200, the Japanese only have only 29 friends and the Chinese 63 (Van
Belleghem, 2010). Because of affiliation needs members of feminine cultures are
intensive users of the Internet. Table7.3 shows a number of significant correlations
with four cultural dimensions and usage of various Internet applications.