Uncertainty avoidance
不確実性の回避
How threatened people feel by ambiguous or unknown situations. Not the same as risk avoidance.
Uncertainty avoidance: CN 30, UK 35, IN 40, NORD 40 (DK 23, SE 29, NO 50, FI 59), US 46, NL 53, DE 65, BR 76, IL 81, KR 85, FR 86, JP 92, PL 93, UA 95.
NORD is drawn as a span over its members: DK 23, SE 29, NO 50, FI 59.
Country averages. About 80% of variation in values is between people inside a country (Taras et al. 2016).
Source: The Culture Factor country comparison tool, current values (revised around 2023), retrieved 2026.
Positions as text
| Country or region | Score |
|---|---|
| China CN | 30 |
| United Kingdom UK | 35 |
| India IN | 40 |
| The Nordics NORD | 40 (mean of DK 23, SE 29, NO 50, FI 59) |
| United States US | 46 |
| Netherlands NL | 53 |
| Germany DE | 65 |
| Brazil BR | 76 |
| Israel IL | 81 |
| South Korea KR | 85 |
| France FR | 86 |
| Japan JP | 92 |
| Poland PL | 93 |
| Ukraine UA | 95 |
The two ends
- Left end Tolerant of ambiguity
- Ambiguity is tolerated. Fewer rules are preferred, and what is different is interesting rather than threatening.
- Right end Avoids ambiguity
- Ambiguity is uncomfortable. People want rules, structure and precision, even rules that do not seem to work.
What it is built from
Originally built from IBM items on rule orientation (“company rules should not be broken, even when it is in the company's best interest”), intent to stay with the employer, and how often people feel nervous or tense at work.
Six dimensions from Geert Hofstede's research, which began with an IBM employee survey in 1967 to 1973 and was extended by later replications. The scores are The Culture Factor's current values, revised around 2023, on a 0 to 100 line.
Limits: these are national averages. About 80% of variation in values lies between people inside a country, and applying a country score to an individual is the ecological fallacy. How to read these scales