Talking lung cancer stigma: The role of culture and language

Lung cancer is the second most prevalent malignancy, with the highest mortality rates. Due to its association with smoking, lung cancer patients often reported feeling stigmatised. However, there has been limited exploration of how the general public perceives lung cancer patients, with even less research considering the role of culture in shaping lung cancer stigma. Our study examined how Australians and Hong Kongers describe individuals with lung cancer. 303 participants (NAus = 176; NHK = 127) were recruited from a commercial panel provider to complete an online survey. Participants were presented with a vignette describing a hypothetical lung cancer patient, and were asked to describe their perceptions in an open-ended response. We found significant differences across cultures in both the content and the language used by participants, including differences in perceptions of warmth, competence, morality and luck of people with lung cancer. In addition, Hong Kongers who responded in Cantonese vs English differed in their descriptions. Hong Kongers were more likely to perceive lung cancer as a consequence of patients’ actions, indicating higher stigma when compared to Australians. Our study highlights the importance of considering cultural diversity and the language a survey is completed in when researching health stigma