A study examined the extent to which existing data on communication apprehension (CA) can be employed to accurately reflect the cultural differences observed. The impact of those findings on the understanding of the nature of CA as it occurs in multiple cultures was also examined. Ten research reports that contained quantitative information that would allow for comparison between data sets were examined. Results were consistent with the growing body of cross-cultural CA research that supports the claim that some cultures have CA norms similar to the United States while others have CA norms which differ substantially--Lithuanians, Finns, Swedes, and the English are more apprehensive than Americans, while Australians, Chinese, Micronesians, Puerto Ricans, Filipinos, Costa Ricans, and Koreans are less apprehensive than Americans. Future research needs to identify and quantify the specific consequences and make a greater effort to address the validity of the measures employed to assess CA and its related constructs in other cultures. (Contains 3 tables of data and 29 references.) (RS)