跨国家研究揭示大模型情感支持使用差异及影响因素
From Chatbots to Confidants: A Cross-Cultural Study of LLM Adoption for Emotional Support
- 调研7国4641人，分析文化与社会背景对情感支持使用的影响
- 20%至59%用户使用大模型寻求情感支持，英美国家态度更积极
- 高学历、已婚、有宗教信仰者更信任并受益于大模型情感互动
大型语言模型（LLMs）正被越来越多用于情感支持，而非仅限于工具性任务。然而，其采用动因及跨国家用户感知仍不明确。为此，我们开展了首个大规模跨文化研究，调查了来自美国、英国、德国、法国、西班牙、意大利和荷兰的4,641名参与者。结果显示，各国采用率差异显著，介于20%至59%之间。通过混合模型分离文化与人口结构影响，发现25-44岁、有宗教信仰、已婚及高社会经济地位者更倾向于正面评价（信任度、使用频率、感知收益），其中社会经济地位影响最强。英语国家普遍比欧洲大陆国家表现出更积极的态度。此外，我们收集了731条真实多语种用户提问语料，显示用户主要求助于孤独感、压力、人际关系冲突及心理健康问题。研究揭示了大模型情感支持应用受复杂社会技术因素塑造，呼吁建立更广泛的研究议程，以确保系统在开发、部署与治理中实现安全且知情的访问。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly used not only for instrumental tasks, but as always-available and non-judgmental confidants for emotional support. Yet what drives adoption and how users perceive emotional support interactions across countries remains unknown. To address this gap, we present the first large-scale cross-cultural study of LLM use for emotional support, surveying 4,641 participants across seven countries (USA, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and The Netherlands). Our results show that adoption rates vary dramatically across countries (from 20% to 59%). Using mixed models that separate cultural effects from demographic composition, we find that: Being aged 25-44, religious, married, and of higher socioeconomic status are predictors of positive perceptions (trust, usage, perceived benefits), with socioeconomic status being the strongest. English-speaking countries consistently show more positive perceptions than Continental European countries. We further collect a corpus of 731 real multilingual prompts from user interactions, showing that users mainly seek help for loneliness, stress, relationship conflicts, and mental health struggles. Our findings reveal that LLM emotional support use is shaped by a complex sociotechnical landscape and call for a broader research agenda examining how these systems can be developed, deployed, and governed to ensure safe and informed access.
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