Can gamification improve financial behavior? The moderating role of app expertise

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 951-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Bayuk ◽  
Suzanne Aurora Altobello

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore potential benefits of gamification (application of game-playing elements) for financial well-being and motivation to save. Design/methodology/approach A preliminary survey of college students explored how gamification principles incorporated into money-savings/personal finance smartphone apps could improve financial well-being. The main study utilized Mechanical Turk participants, exposing them to financial game app descriptions that emphasized social features (e.g. leaderboards and ability to share achievements) or economic features (e.g. ability to earn real money or a higher interest rate). Objective and subjective financial measures including expertise with financial apps, perceived benefits of financial apps and behavioral intentions were examined. Findings Financial worry, financial literacy, subjective knowledge and expertise with money-savings/financial applications predicted financial well-being. Additionally, consumers varied in their preferences for certain financial game app features based on past financial app experience. Those who already used a financial app tend to exhibit higher subjective (though not objective) knowledge, and want both “social” and “economic” features of financial applications, whereas those with no experience are more motivated by economic features. Practical implications These results could be used to guide game designers regarding which features may be more attractive to consumers depending on their prior expertise with financial smartphone applications. Financial services marketing would benefit from further research into whether smartphone financial applications that emphasize social features have benefits for consumers’ motivation and financial well-being. Originality/value Examining college students about to enter the real world and the general population, this project contributes to research to improve understanding of financial well-being by examining how already having a financial gamification application impacts perceptions of knowledge and expertise, as well as intentions to save given a more socially focused vs economically focused savings app. Additional research needs to further explore gamification as an experimental intervention to ultimately improve both subjective financial well-being and objective financial behaviors, especially for consumers with lower expertise and high risk of financial vulnerability.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshihiko Kadoya ◽  
Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan

Success in the current complex and sophisticated financial marketplaces depends on the ability of people to make sustainable financial decisions to improve their future well-being, for which financial literacy is a pathway. This study examines the relationship between the demographic and socio-economic factors and financial literacy in Japan by segregating financial literacy into financial knowledge, attitude, and behavior, and providing a deeper understanding of the relationships. The methodology included using data from the Financial Literacy Survey 2016 by the Central Council for Financial Services Information of Japan. We used a linear regression model to explain how demographic and socio-economic factors relate to financial knowledge, attitude, and behavior. Results show that education, the balance of financial assets, and the use of financial information are positively related, while the experience of financial trouble is negatively related to financial knowledge, attitude, and behavior. We show that males are more financially knowledgeable than females, but females are more positive than males with regard to financial behavior and financial attitude. Age is positively related to financial knowledge but negatively related to financial attitude, thus suggesting that middle-aged people in Japan are more financially knowledgeable, but younger and older people are more positive with regard to financial behavior and attitude. The findings have implications for policymakers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 934-950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonore Riitsalu ◽  
Rein Murakas

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study how subjective and objective knowledge of finance, behaviour in managing personal finances and socio-economic status affect financial well-being. Design/methodology/approach The financial well-being score is constructed in quantitative financial literacy survey data from Estonia as the arithmetic mean of four statements on a five-point scale. Four hypotheses are tested in multiple regression analysis. Findings Subjective knowledge has a stronger relation with financial well-being than objective knowledge. Financial behaviour score and income level correlate with financial well-being. Research limitations/implications The paper contributes to literature on financial literacy, subjective financial knowledge and financial well-being. In future research, psychological factors and future orientated financial well-being should be included, and their relationship to subjective well-being could be analysed further. Practical implications The results highlight the importance of subjective knowledge and sound behaviour for improving financial well-being. Providers of financial services should address these more in the design of their services and communication. Social implications Policymakers developing national strategies for financial education need to address subjective financial knowledge for increasing financial well-being in society. Originality/value Knowledge, behaviour and subjective knowledge have not been used simultaneously in the analysis of financial well-being in Europe before.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 805-817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Jian Xiao ◽  
Nilton Porto

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate roles of financial literacy, financial behavior, and financial capability as mediating factors between financial education and financial satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Data are from the 2012 National Financial Capability Study, a large national data set with detailed information on financial satisfaction, education, literacy, behavior, capability, and related variables. Mediation analyses are used to answer research questions. Findings Financial education may affect financial satisfaction, a subjective measure of financial well-being, through financial literacy, financial behavior, and financial capability variables. Results show that subjective financial literacy, desirable financial behavior and a financial capability index (a sum of Z-scores of objective financial literacy, subjective financial literacy, desirable financial behavior, and perceived financial capability) are strong mediators between financial education and financial satisfaction. Research limitations/implications The study has used cross sectional data that can only document associations between financial education and satisfaction and the mediators between them. Future research could use relevant longitudinal data to verify multiple benefits of financial education. Practical implications The findings have implications for financial service professionals to take advantages of multiple benefits of financial education in content acquisition, confidence in knowledge and ability, and action taking when they communicate with their clients. Social implications Policy makers on consumer financial education may use the information to advocate and promote effective education programs to improve consumer financial well-being. Originality/value This study is the first of this kind to examine the association between financial education and financial satisfaction and several financial capability variables as mediating factors.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad S. Tahir ◽  
Abdullahi D. Ahmed ◽  
Daniel W. Richards

PurposeThis study aims to test a moderated mediation model for a twofold purpose. First, to examine the mediating role of financial capability (FC) in the association between financial literacy (FL) and financial well-being (FW). Second, to analyze if non-impulsive future-oriented behavior (NIB) moderates the associations of FL with FC and FL with FW.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use the PROCESS macros in IBM SPSS Statistics to test the moderated mediation model and analyze the 2016 wave of the Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia Survey.FindingsThe empirical analysis shows that FC partially mediates the association between FL and FW. Furthermore, the moderated mediation analysis shows that NIB strengthens the associations of FL with FC and FL with FW. Specifically, the positive associations of FL with FC and FL with FW significantly increase for those consumers who score high on NIB.Practical implicationsThe findings have implications for the financial services industry. Professional financial planners can positively improve the ability of consumers to deal with their financial matters by highlighting the importance of FL and NIB.Social implicationsThe study findings suggest educating consumers to discourage impulsive behavior and encourage them to create financial plans as it will enhance their ability to conduct financial tasks efficiently, improving their FW.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to assess a moderated mediation model, which examines the role of FC as a mediator variable and NIB as a moderator variable in the association between FL and FW.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Soo Ming Chua ◽  
Phaik Nie Chin

PurposeThis study aims to understand the drivers that help working adults to be better prepared for retirement, by examining the relationship between financial literacy (FL), financial attitude (FA), financial well-being (FWB), financial behavior (FB) and retirement preparation (RP). RP includes multidimensional measures, which are retirement confidence, retirement planning, long-term financial planning and private retirement schemes (PRS) participation.Design/methodology/approachThis was a quantitative study adopting non-probability sampling with self-administered questionnaire distributed to all working adults. Descriptive analysis was used to examine the 294 useable data, and the multiple logistic regression analysis was adopted for hypothesis testing.FindingsThe empirical results show that FB is positively associated with RP and then followed by FWB on retirement confidence. Although insignificant influence is found on FL and FA, better FL and FA will still improve individuals' RP.Research limitations/implicationsThe study provides insights to working adults that practicing positive FB and good FWB will improve RP. Besides, for financial institutions, income level is the main determinant for consumers to participate in PRS; for policy makers, to incorporate financial attributes knowledge as part of the school curriculum since early school years.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few studies in Malaysia that explored FL, FA, FB and FWB on retirement planning, respectively.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 1617-1634
Author(s):  
Haidong Zhao ◽  
Lini Zhang

PurposeThe objective of this study was to empirically examine how family financial socialization affects individuals' financial outcomes, including financial literacy, financial behavior and financial well-being, based on the family financial socialization theory (FFST).Design/methodology/approachUsing a national representative sample of 6,311 US respondents from the 2016 National Financial Well-Being Survey, structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to test the hypotheses in this study. Sampling weights were incorporated into the structural model using the maximum likelihood estimation with robust standard errors and a Satorra-Bentler scaled test statistic (MLM estimation).FindingsThis study concludes the effectiveness of family financial socialization by showing that parental financial socialization has significant positive impacts on financial literacy, financial behavior and financial well-being. In addition, parents' education can significantly influence the quality of parental financial socialization.Practical implicationsThe result underscores the importance of financial socialization in the family context and encourages parents to discuss financial matters with their children at home. Detailed implications have been provided to financial educators, practitioners and policymakers to incorporate parental involvement in the design of financial education programs, as well as financial services providers to improve marketing strategies for their banking services.Originality/valueThis research is amongst the first to empirically explore the relationships among parental financial socialization, financial literacy, financial behavior and financial well-being based on the FFST. The study also contributes to the literature by confirming the effects of parental socialization received in childhood on adults' later financial outcomes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 880-900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asli Elif Aydin ◽  
Elif Akben Selcuk

Purpose Financial literacy has a strong influence on financial well-being, and it is a concept especially important for college students who start to develop their financial habits. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between financial literacy, money attitudes and time preferences among Turkish university students. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 1,443 university students from 14 campuses in Turkey. Structural equation modeling methodology is employed to test the hypotheses. Findings The results suggest that students with higher financial knowledge scores have more favorable financial attitudes and exhibit more desirable financial behaviors. It is also demonstrated that financial attitude is positively related to financial behavior. Furthermore, a significant and negative relationship between the affective dimension of the money ethic construct and financial behavior is found. In contrast, the relationship between the behavioral dimension of money ethic and financial behavior is positive. It is further demonstrated that a present orientation leads to more negative financial attitudes. Originality/value This study will reveal the interrelationships among dimensions of financial literacy, money ethics and time preferences in an emerging economy with a relatively little experience with formal financial systems and unstable macroeconomic conditions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 421
Author(s):  
YULIANI YULIANI

The Indonesian financial literacy index is still very low. This low index makes the government through the Financial Services Authority (OJK) make a strategy contained in the Indonesian National Financial Literacy Strategy or SNLKI (Revisit 2017). The strategy is expected that the Indonesian people have the knowledge and skills and beliefs that are reflected in attitudes and behaviors regarding financial management and are able to take quality financial decisions for Financial Well Being. The research objective is to analyze the direct effect of financial knowledge on financial literacy. Analyzing the indirect influence of financial behavior as a mediator of the effect of financial knowledge on financial literacy. Non-probability of purposive sampling technique as many as 105 respondents. Data collection conducted in May-June 2019. The data used is primary using the research instrument in the form of a questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale measurement. Data was collected by distributing questionnaires both directly and online questionnaires through a Google questionnaire. Data analysis techniques are descriptive and inferential. Inferential testing using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The research findings are that there is a direct influence of financial knowledge on financial literacy. The indirect influence of financial behavior on financial literacy is not significant so financial behavior is not mediation.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodica Ianole-Calin ◽  
Geoffrey Hubona ◽  
Elena Druica ◽  
Cecilia Basu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which financial behavior and financial well-being are affected by cognitive and non-cognitive factors in a specific Romanian post-communist context. This study shows that financial well-being is significantly linked to both financial education and to a set of non-cognitive factors. This paper offers strategic insights on what financial services should communicate to consumers and how they should be communicated, achieve the mutual benefits of the transformative paradigm. Design/methodology/approach This study uses an online sample of 1,602 participants, representative of the general population in Romania concerning income and education, to collect data on financial anxiety, financial security and financial saving behavior (dependent variables), self-control, optimism, future orientation, deliberative thinking and financial literacy (independent variables). This paper measures the latent constructs – as composite indices, using partial least squares – path modeling. Working with WarpPLS software version 6.0 allows exploration of both linear and non-linear relationships involved in the model, along with their practical and managerial implications. Findings The results indicate that the key component to address in the development of financial services (in the post-soviet context) is financial anxiety. This study finds that, in contrast to Western countries, in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE), financial education is not always a panacea. Additionally, financial security is not always the most important goal for consumers. Practical implications This paper suggests managerial recommendations for redefining the relationship between banks and the Romanian population, focused mainly on diminishing financial anxiety and increasing financial security, as key elements of transformative financial services. Originality/value The study highlights the significant role played by behavioral variables in shaping financial well-being in Romania, being among the very few investigations illustrating the relevance of the topic in post-communist countries. This research shows unique challenges for the design of transformative financial services in a specific (post-communist) setting and provides insights on how financial services marketing can become more effective in the CESEE region.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1234-1246
Author(s):  
Lambert K. Engelbrecht ◽  
Abigail Ornellas

Purpose Within a neoliberal environment, financial vulnerability of households has become an increasing challenge and there is a requirement of financial literacy education, a necessary activity to facilitate sustainable development and well-being. However, this is seldom a mainstream discourse in social work deliberations. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach First, introducing the neoliberal impact on financial well-being and capability for vulnerable households, the authors’ postulation is substantiated on a seven-point argument. The contexts of financially vulnerable households are sketched. Second, a conceptualisation of financial literacy is offered, and third, perspectives on and approaches to financial literacy as a fundamental capability are presented. This is followed by a theoretical foundation of community education as a practice model in social work to develop financial capabilities. In the fifth place, prevailing practices of Financial Capabilities Development (FCD) programmes are offered. Subsequently, the implications of a neoliberal environment for social work practice are examined. Findings The revised global definition of social work encourages the profession to understand and address the structural causes of social problems through collective interventions. As a response, it is argued that community education towards FCD of vulnerable households within a neoliberal environment should be an essential discourse in social development. Originality/value The authors reflect on the significance of FCD, highlighting its contribution towards human security and sustainable development. Although this paper draws on Southern African contexts, the discourse finds resonance in other contexts across the world.


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