In the US (I rather suspect North America in general) there is a big dichotomy between those who drive head-first into parking spaces versus those who back in. I thought about this again after almost having an incident when driving into a parking spot and not noticing that another person was preparing to back into it (which usually involves considerably more maneuvering).
I did some Internet research and found articles strongly advocating both approaches. I have tried to determine what primarily motivates somebody to back into a spot and have come across a couple of theories. I saw an essay which said that those who back in are more inclined to prepare for the future, as they will have an easier time when leaving. In certain circumstances, this is truly justified, for example when parking in a garage for an event such as a concert or basketball game. In this case, if you do not back in, then you will have a hard time leaving when everybody leaves at once.
In fact, one theory for the popularity of this style of parking is that it began with factory workers who typically all vacate the parking lot at the same time, after the whistle blows. Which contributes to the general perception that this is a blue-collar thing. Reinforcing that perception is that in the US, blue-collar men typically drive large SUVs or pickup trucks, even just as a way to get to and from work. It is much harder to see out the back of one of these than out the back of my compact car, so there is more incentive to avoid having to back out of a space in a crowded parking lot.
Those who drive, what is your preference?