The Role of National Cultural Values within the Theory of Planned Behaviour

Abstract

The theory of planned behaviour (TPB;Ajzen 1991) has received substantial research interest with a large number of reviews and meta-analyses concluding favourably on the ability of the TPB to explain intention and behaviour across a wide spectrum of contexts (e.g. Albarracin et al. 2001; Armitage and Conner 2001; Conner and Armitage 1998; Godin and Kok 1996; Sheppard et al. 1988). The TPB is an expectancy value model which states that human behaviour is a consequence of one’s behavioural intention, which is in turn explained by one’s attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control regarding the behaviour. One important area of interest which has not been adequately researched concerns the impact of national culture on the TPB constructs and the TPB relationships. Culture has been defined as ‘the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another’ (Hofstede 1980, p.25). Beyond individual differences, human dispositions and behaviours are influenced by the norms, beliefs and values of their cultural environment (Triandis 1989). Furthermore, cultural values shape not only one’s behaviour but also one’s perceptions of the self and of the social environment (Triandis 1989). To date, no systematic assessment of the impact of culture on the TPB has been undertaken. The present research examined the TPB in the context of smoking cessation with samples across 23 European Union Member States based on multi-level data analysis (hierarchical linear modelling) method. At the individual level of analysis, our results showed that attitude (B = -0.13, t = -5.11, p