The Usage of Credit Cards: An Empirical Analysis on Turkish College Students

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of credit card usage among university students. Credit cards can be a convenient payment tool that gives university students a number of advantages and benefits to learn financial responsibility when it can be used in a controlled and responsible manner. On the other hand, using credit cards also have serious financial consequences when mismanagedly used. The excessive credit card debt and overdue payments give burden on university students’ shoulders before starting their full-time jobs. Besides that, when the other debts such as education credits are added, inevitable stress and anxiety make negative impacts on their newly started adult life. Also, lack of experience on using credit cards and personal financial information, tend to put some students at a higher financial risk due to a large and perhaps unmanageable debt burden. Therefore, rising number of students who use credit cards increases the concern for these long-term negative results of the credit card. In this context, we aim to evaluate the basic demographic and socio-economic factors that affect the attitudes of Kırklareli University students towards credit card ownership, credit card usage, and to evaluate the students' ability to manage their financial situation.