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Afolkcultureisasmallisolated,cohesive,conservative,nearlyself-sufficientgroupthatishomogeneousincustomandracewithastrongfamilyorclanstructureandhighlydevelopedrituals.Orderismaintainedthroughsanctionsbasedinthereligionorfamilyandinterpersonal.Relationshipsarestrong.Traditionisparamount,andchangeesinfrequentlyandslowly.Thereisrelativelylittledivisionoflaborintospecializedduties.Rather,eachpersonisexpectedtoperformagreatvarietyoftasks,thoughdutiesmaydifferbetweenthesexes.Mostgoodsarehandmadeandsubsistenceeconomyprevails.Individualismisweaklydevelopedinfolkculturesasaresocialclasses.UnalteredfolkculturesnolongerexistinindustrializedcountriessuchastheUnitedStatesandCanada.PerhapsthenearestmodernequivalentinAngloAmericaistheAmish,aGermanAmericanfarmingsectthatlargelyrenouncestheproductsandlaborsavingdevicesoftheindustrialage.InAmishareas,horsedrawnbuggiesstillserveasalocaltransportationdeviceandthefaithfularenotpermittedtoownautomobiles.TheAmish＇scentralreligiousconceptofDemut"humility",clearlyreflectstheweaknessofindividualismandsocialclasssotypicaloffolkculturesandthereisacorrespondingstrengthofAmishgroupidentity.RarelydotheAmishmarryoutsidetheirsect.Thereligion,avarietyoftheMennonitefaith,providestheprincipalmechanismformaintainingorder.
Bycontrastapopularcultureisalargeheterogeneousgroupoftenhighlyindividualisticandapronouncedmanyspecializedprofessions.Secularinstitutionsofcontrolsuchasthepoliceandarmytaketheplaceofreligionandfamilyinmaintainingorder,andamoney-basedeconomyprevails.Becauseofthesecontrasts,"popular"maybeviewedasclearlydifferentfrom"folk".Thepopularisreplacingthefolkinindustrializedcountriesandinmanydevelopingnations.Folk-madeobjectsgivewaytotheirpopularequivalent,usuallybecausethepopularitemismorequicklyorcheaplyproduced,iseasierortimesavingtouseorleadsmoreprestigetotheowner.