Do culture-dependent response styles distort substantial relationships?

Survey data are frequently distorted by answering tendencies, such as acquiescence, disacquiescence, midpoint and extreme response style. Cross-cultural research projects may be particularly vulnerable to misinterpretations. This paper provides empirical insights into the manner and degree to which culture systematically distorts findings from survey data. The study is based on data from 1027 respondents from Austria, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Russia, Spain, and the United States. The investigation firstly demonstrates that Hofstede's and project GLOBE's cultural dimensions explain variations in response styles across different countries. Secondly, and most importantly, the paper explores the impact of culture-dependent response styles on findings. Remarkably, the extent of distortion in correlation analysis and mean comparisons is less severe than expected. Nonetheless, cross-cultural researchers would be well advised to control at least for (dis-)acquiescence before analyzing and interpreting their data.

► Acquiescence, disacquiescence and midpoint response styles are culture-dependent.
► Culture-dependent response styles affect findings in international business research.
► In contrast to conventional wisdom, influences on correlative studies are only moderate.
► Influences on mean comparisons across nations are weak.
► In general, (dis-)acquiescence causes the most severe distortions.