What Are Examples of Sociocultural Factors?
Sociocultural factors include people’s ways of living, values and customs. As a society, it is important to understand these factors for many reasons. Businesses use them to market their products, teachers use these factors to instruct and researchers examine these factors to study public policies.
Sociocultural factors can have positive and negative effects on people. Studying them is beneficial. Seeing some examples of these factors can help you understand their impact.
Education Is a Sociocultural Factor
Somebody who works in marketing wants to understand education because it tells him or her about the consumer’s needs and desires. People who have gone to college tend to have different jobs than those who have not. For this reason, many people will consider education level when they study neighborhoods and other factors.
Language Is a Sociocultural Factor
The language a group speaks shows how its members understand information. For example, let’s say you’re writing educational materials to target a group that speaks Spanish as a first language. Your plan should be to reach those who speak Spanish and English.
Language can also include tone and region. For example, the place a person lives means they might have an accent or talk in a different way from somebody in another part of the country.
Reference Groups Are a Sociocultural Factor
A reference group is made of all the people you compare yourself to. It can also include the people you relate to most. This group can include family members, friends, classmates, neighbors and co-workers. Remember that this group is affected by many other factors, including family and income level.
Social Class Is a Sociocultural Factor
A person’s status in society, called their socioeconomic status, says a lot about their role. This factor may tell you their income. It also shows what resources they may have access to. This status also shows how likely someone is to go to college or to have access to healthcare.
Healthcare Is a Sociocultural Factor
Health is another factor. Many people do not have access to healthcare. People with healthcare are more likely to visit the doctor. People who visit the doctor regularly are more likely to undergo health screenings. These screenings prevent further medical problems, like serious illness.
Housing Is a Sociocultural Factor
Housing is another factor. The place where you live has a major impact on some of the other factors listed here. For example, the place you live can affect your health. A researcher may find that people who live in poor conditions are more likely to become sick because of mold.
Additionally, the neighborhood a person lives in can impact their health. For example, people who live closer to grocery stores may be in good health. People who only live close to fast food restaurants may be in worse health.
Your neighborhood can also share a lot of information about education. Somebody who lives in a neighborhood with good schools could be more likely to go to college.
