Social representations and monetary attitudes of student youth: Theoretical approaches and pilot study experience

During the transformation of economic relations and growing financial uncertainty, the study of social representations and monetary attitudes of student youth acquires particular significance. The purpose of this study is to provide a theoretical analysis of these constructs, supplemented by the materials of a pilot study conducted in Yakutsk. The objectives of the study included: studying theoretical approaches to understanding money as a social institution; analysing modern research on attitudes towards money among young people; and conducting a pilot survey. The study involved 40 students from Yakutsk aged 17 to 23 years. A set of methods was used: the method of free associations and open questions; the Klontz Monetary Attitudes Questionnaire (adapted by D.A. Bayazitova and T.A. Lapshova) on four scales: “Money Avoidance”, “Money as Status”, “Money Worship”, “Money Concern”. Content analysis, descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U-test were used for data processing. It was found that the most significant attitudes for the surveyed students are “money as status” and “money worship”. The most common association with money is “freedom” (32.5%). Statistically significant differences were found on the “money concern” scale in the pilot sample between students with and without part-time employment: unemployed students demonstrate a higher level of financial anxiety. The hypothesis on the studied sample was partially confirmed: significant differences were found only on the “money concern” scale. The obtained data are preliminary. The practical significance lies in developing targeted financial education programs and psychological support for students. Promising areas for further research include conducting longitudinal and cross-cultural studies, developing culture-specific diagnostic tools, and studying the influence of the digital economy on financial behavior.

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