Actually, Starbucks operates in big cities, that's why it was not welcome until foreigners started actually supporting Starbucks, those cities were filled with coffee snobs and Starbucks was not worth it. (Yes, foreigners here means mostly North-East Asians and students) But the coffee quality of Starbucks from North-East Asia and the coffee quality in European Starbucks-esque chains could not compare to the good quality coffee and cheap prices of Australian small shops. Of course most people buy coffee in the city, and outside the city it's all instant coffee since it's perceived like wine. You're either a snob about it, or you just drink it casually (instant) cause you enjoy drinking any shade of it.

I live in Australia and Korea frequently, and one has independent chains with snobby, nice, hardcore coffee (Aus) the other has a bunch of shitty chains, and Starbucks that serve absolutely mediocre coffee.

Entire family drinks coffee in instant, but most work mates drink coffee with machines and cafes. You either care or you don't, but everyone enjoys lots of coffee. It's really not that surprising, the same thing goes for baked goods and fast food. The smaller the town, the worse the quality, but the more people are happy with what they're getting.