LEVEL OF FINANCIAL LITERACY OF ACADEMIC YOUTH FROM RURAL AND URBAN AREAS

Abstract

Financial literacy is becoming one of the key competencies in the 21st century. In its absence, it is virtually impossible to navigate the market for financial products and services and thus ensure financial stability throughout a whole life. This fact is all the more important given the threats arising from the effects of the pandemic crisis. Thanks to exhausted public budgets and the cooling of the economy, it can be expected that, despite strong regulation, there will be more aggressive sell practices on the market, to which financially literate people are more resilient. The aim of the study is to determine the level of financial literacy of academic youth from rural areas and to compare the results obtained with the level of financial literacy of young people from cities. The source of data used for analysis and inference was primary information obtained from own questionnaire research. To assess the level of financial literacy, the authors use an innovative metric, the personal finance index. In addition to overall success, this approach also makes it possible to analyze knowledge from the eight functional areas of financial literacy. By comparing the results in single areas, the authors reveal that risk management is Achyla’s heel of financial literacy. The authors focus on the differences in financial literacy according to the place of residence. The study explores inequalities in the single functional areas of financial literacy between the respondents living in the urban and rural areas.