Do you Dare to Study Abroad? Examining Cross-Cultural Differences in the Role of Covid-19 Post-Pandemic Stress on Study Abroad Intentions and Country Image Formation

The purpose of this study is to explore the underlying dimensions of Covid-19 stress to determine the extent to which Covid-19 stress has an effect on students’ intentions to participate in future study abroad programs. The underlying stress factors that this work examines include traumatic stress, contamination fears, fears about economic consequences and past Covid illness experience. The paper addresses the cross-cultural differences in these factors’ effects on studying abroad intentions among young individualistic versus collectivistic consumers. The goal of this study is to develop a deeper understanding of Covid related stress phenomena among global young consumer cohorts. The results of this study could inform university study abroad managers to consider the students’ perceptions of Covid-19 stress when developing future study abroad programs. We posit that students are more likely to participate in study abroad programs when the programs address the post-pandemic era stressors, but cross-cultural differences exist.