People in high-uncertainty-avoidance cultures will also seek these referrals in already existing service relationships because they want to reassure themselves of their opinion about the service provider.
In low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures, anxiety can be reduced through passive relaxation; thus, people are expected to control their emotions (Hofstede 2001).
Moreover, low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures are characterized by a greater openness to change and new ideas, making people more comfortable with ambiguity and chaos. People in low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures often embrace diversity and are more curious about things that do not conform to the norm. Finally, people in low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures have a greater belief that they can influence their own lives and the world in general (Hofstede 2001). Therefore, they are less engaged in information acquisition behavior (Dawar, Parker, and Price 1996; Money, Gilly, and Graham 1998) and should be less susceptible to external influences on their consumer behavior and cognitions.
Therefore, we predict the following: