Uncertainty Avoidance
A cultural value dimension describing how far people prefer to reduce ambiguity and risk.
What it is
In consumer research it is measured in individual respondents as well as described for societies. On this site it is read alongside Brand Credibility and Individualism and Collectivism.
In effect
Erdem, Swait and Valenzuela reported in 2006 that credible brands provided more value to consumers high in uncertainty avoidance, which the authors explained through lower perceived risk and lower costs of gathering information.
What it does not say
It is not the same thing as Brand Credibility, which sits close to it on this site but describes a different part of how people decide. It also does not say that the finding reaches every product, buyer or setting; where this page goes beyond the cited research, the step is an inference and is labelled as one.
Sources
- Dutch social psychologist (1928-2020) whose cultural dimensions framework is the most widely used tool in cross-cultural management.