Cultural Variation in Attitudes Toward Social Chatbots

Bibliographic Data

ID7842941
AuthorsDunigan P Folk (The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada), Dunigan Folk (0000-0001-6728-2776, University of British Columbia, corresponding author), Chenxi Wu (0009-0003-2134-2093, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada), Steven J Heine (0000-0002-5622-4172, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada)
Year2025
Volume56
Issue3
Pages219-239
Publication date2025-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Cross-Cultural Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-0221 • E-ISSN: 1552-5422
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00220221251317950
PMID40160265
OpenAlexW4407798185
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited26

Across two studies (Total N = 1,659), we found evidence for cultural differences in attitudes toward socially bonding with conversational AI. In Study 1 ( N = 675), university students with an East Asian cultural background expected to enjoy a hypothetical conversation with a chatbot (vs. human) more than students with European background. Moreover, they were less uncomfortable and more approving of a hypothetical situation where someone else socially connected with a chatbot (vs. human) than the students with a European background. In Study 2 (preregistered; N = 984), we found similar evidence for cultural differences comparing samples of Chinese and Japanese adults currently living in East Asia to adults currently living in the United States. Critically, these cultural differences were explained by East Asian participants increased propensity to anthropomorphize technology. Overall, our findings suggest there is cultural variability in attitudes toward chatbots and that these differences are mediated by differences in anthropomorphism

Chatbot · Conversation · Cultural background · Cultural diversity · Cultural values · Developmental psychology · Sociology · Variation (astronomy) · AI in Service Interactions · Anthropology · Communication · Cultural Differences and Values · Demography · Gender Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology · Social Robot Interaction and HRI

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