Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing financial behaviors among college students in Turkey. Data was obtained from a nationwide survey of 1539 students (748 women, 791 men; M age = 22.01 yr., SD = 2.44) and three financial behaviors were analyzed: paying bills on time, having a budget in place, and saving for the future. Logistic regression results showed that students who are more financially literate are more likely to exhibit the three positive financial behaviors. Parental teaching of finance and positive attitudes towards money were also found to be significant predictors of positive financial behaviors. A significant difference between male and female students was only observed for budgeting behavior and male students were found to be less likely to have a budget in place to control their finances. Finance courses taken in college or high school and work experience were positively related to saving behavior, but unrelated to timely payment or budgeting. Finally, students’ class rank was not found to be significantly related to any of the financial behaviors. Policy implications are provided. 

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