Impact of Fear Appeals in a Cross-Cultural Context

The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of culture on fear, using the protection motivation model as a basic theoretical framework. A 2 x 2 between-subjects experiment was conducted in the United States and in France. Participants were first shown a high-threat or low-threat advertisement. They were then asked to complete a questionnaire designed to measure fear, mal-adaptive coping, and purchase intention. A two-way multivariate analysis of covariance was used to test the hypotheses. Results indicated that compared to a low level of threat, a high level induces greater fear and leads to a higher likelihood of purchasing the advertised product. However, no significant differences were found between French and U.S. subjects fear. Exploratory findings suggest that adaptive, instead of maladaptive, coping could play a mediating role between fear and purchase intention. The theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed, and suggestions regarding the design of future fear appeals studies are provided.