The Impact of National Cultural Distance on the Number of Foreign Web Site Visits by U.S. Households

Abstract

Abstract

We investigate how national cultural distance, defined as the extent to which the shared values and norms in one country differ from those in another, affect the number of Web site visits. Based on a sample of 2,654 U.S. households visiting Web sites in 38 countries over 25 different Web site categories, we find that cultural distance has a negative and significant effect on the number of taste-related foreign Web site visits. In the case of Web sites containing sexually explicit material, we obtain a significantly positive effect of cultural distance. Our findings suggest that cultural distance can be both a source of attraction and a source of repulsion in explaining the number of Web site visits depending on the nature of the Web site.