Why tourists misbehave: the impact of power distance and social context on deviant tourist behavior
研究权力距离如何通过增加惩罚不确定性和促进对违规的认可态度，导致游客越轨意图，并考察情境、背景和结构层面的社会影响如何放大这一过程。
This research examines how individual-level power distance shapes deviant tourist behavioral intentions and how multi-layered social influences condition this relationship. Integrating Social Cognitive Theory, Moral Disengagement Theory, and the Theory of Planned Behavior, we propose that power distance increases deviant intentions by heightening uncertainty about the social costs of punishment and fostering favorable attitudes toward norm violations. Social influence is conceptualized as operating at situational, contextual, and structural levels, which amplify these cognitive processes. Evidence from four complementary studies (N = 1123) supports the proposed framework. Study 1 identifies power distance as a robust cultural antecedent of deviant tourist intentions. Studies 2A and 2B show that witnessing other tourists’ deviance elevates intentions, with stronger effects among high–power distance individuals and variation across deviant domains. Study 3 confirms a sequential mediation pathway via punishment uncertainty and attitudinal approval, and demonstrates that subjective norms condition early risk appraisals. Study 4 incorporates county-level crime data, revealing that long-term exposure to permissive normative environments strengthens key cognitive pathways to deviance. Together, these findings advance a multilevel explanation of deviant tourist behavior and offer culturally informed insights for managing misconduct and promoting sustainable visitation.