Antecedents of Financial Well-Being: Are the Perceptions of the Financial System and Financial Knowledge Relevant?

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to analyze how the perception of the financial system, financial knowledge, and socioeconomic and demographic variables impact the financial well-being of citizens. Fundamentals: Financial well-being is a state of being in which each person can fully meet their current and ongoing financial obligations, feeling secure regarding the financial future, and being able to make choices to enjoy life (CFPB,2015) Method: A survey was conducted with 1137 individuals living in twelve Brazilian cities. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's short scale and descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, and multiple regression analysis were used as the main analysis techniques for the measurement of financial well-being. Results - The results indicated that, in addition to financial knowledge, the perception of inclusion, protection, and financial citizenship have a positive impact on the level of financial well-being. Thus, the implementation of policies that promote a better understanding of the financial system can contribute to raising the levels of financial well-being of citizens. Contributions: It innovates by assessing the impact of perception about various aspects of the financial system on financial well-being.