Risk taking, cultural values and beliefs: Cameroon-France comparison

Risk taking, cultural values and beliefs: Cameroon-France comparison

Hélène Chantal Ngah Essomba*^,1,2, Julien Cestac³, Edouard-Adrien Mvessomba¹, Raymond Mbédé¹, Patricia Delhomme³

¹University of Yaoundé 1, FALSH – Faculty of Arts, Letters and Human Sciences, Department of Psychology. PO Box 337 Yaoundé, Cameroon; ²University of Paris 8, CHART Laboratory 2, rue de la liberté 93526 Saint-Denis, France; ³IFSTTAR, AME, LPC, 78000 Versailles, France

Risk-taking related to road mobility of vulnerable users can be different from one country to another, from one culture to another. Vulnerable users (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists), who are those whose exterior protections are most lacking compared to drivers of cars or trucks, constitute almost half of the individuals killed in road accidents (WHO, 2015). Contexts, cultural values and beliefs are likely to play a role in risk taking (Cestac et al., 2016; Delhomme & Meyer, 1995; Kouabenan, 2007;). This research aims to compare Cameroonians to French in terms of beliefs, cultural values and motivation for protection and identify the predictors of attitude and intention to infringe the red light. It was conducted among 156 Cameroonians and 131 French using a self-assessment questionnaire. Results showed differences in beliefs, motivation for protection and cultural values. Cameroonians have a strong religiosity compared to the French. The differences observed in terms of beliefs are in line with the reflection of Ingelhart (1999) who shows that there are more beliefs in Africa than in Europe. Cameroonians have a strong religiosity compared to French. The differences observed in terms of beliefs are in line with Ingelhart’ (1999) positions who shows there are more beliefs in Africa than in Europe.

Keywords: culture, beliefs, Cameroon, France, risk taking, vulnerable users.

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Hélène Chantal Ngah Essomba, Julien Cestac, Edouard-Adrien Mvessomba, Raymond Mbédé, Patricia Delhomme. Risk taking, cultural values and beliefs: Cameroon-France comparison. International Journal of Psychological Research and Reviews, 2022, 5:56. DOI: 10.28933/ijprr-2022-01-1605

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