Seniors' Motivations And Perceived Risks: A Cross-Cultural Study

As the new demographic potential of China captures the attention of international marketers, this study addresses the issue of relevance of Western techniques to examine the Chinese senior market. This research reports on the findings of a comparative study of senior consumers from a major European (French) market and a key Asian (Chinese) one. The study concentrates on the tourism market regarding the growth and importance of this industry both for European and Asian markets. Travel motivations and perceived risks were of particular interest to understand consumer behaviour, with scales being tested, utilizing survey data collected from 300 French and 264 Chinese seniors. The study reveals that two reliable Western scales, could be adapted to the Chinese and to the French cultures. Second, it shows significant differences between Chinese and French senior consumers in terms of motivations and risks perceptions. Particularly, Chinese seniors are described by a past oriented motivation, linked to nostalgia, and patriotism, which differentiates them from the Western seniors. This paper provides a contribution regarding a major issue in comparative and cross-cultural studies: the use of a unique and culturally-adapted scale. Two scales have been tested and showed to be suitable for marketing studies in four cultures. Second, this study provides interesting information on a European and an Asian senior market. Knowing that the current ageing of the global population presents an exciting opportunity for growth for several industries, these results are of particular interest for international marketers.