Samenvatting
Cross-cultural differences of risk perceptions and insurance-purchasing decisions in Japan and the United States were examined by looking at one common risk, automobile accidents. In-depth interviews with 42 Japanese subjects were conducted in the city of Kasukabe, Japan, in June and July 1997. Their responses were compared with those of 74 US subjects from Western Pennsylvania (Austin, 1996). Systematic differences were observed in reasons given for having automobile insurance, judged probabilities of accidents, and judged probabilities of being at fault. These differences are examined in terms of cultural, driving, and market factors. (Author/publisher)