Synthesizing the Role of Culture in Social Norms Influence: A Systematic Review of Cross-Cultural Studies

Social norms are fundamentally embedded in cultural contexts. Yet how culture shapes normative influence remains unclear, due to fragmented evidence across disciplines. We systematically reviewed 32 studies examining how cultural constructs relate to normative effects. A conceptualization-operationalization gap emerged: 81% employed cultural frameworks, but only 38% directly measured them. The dominant individualism-collectivism framework yielded mixed results, while tightness-looseness showed more consistent effects but remained underused. Normative effects varied by behavioural domain and referent salience. Methodologically, fewer than half of the studies culturally contextualized norm measures. This comprehensive synthesis lays the groundwork for advancing culturally grounded social norm theories and interventions.