{"title":"Heterogeneous unbanked households: Which types of households are more (or less) likely to open a bank account?","authors":"Fumiko Hayashi, Aditi Routh, Ying Lei Toh","doi":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2023.106156","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Promoting bank account ownership is important because having a bank account is the foundation for households’ financial well-being. Unbanked households differ in their likelihood of opening a bank account, and understanding the factors associated with these differences can help policymakers and industry<span> stakeholders to tailor financial inclusion<span> strategies. This study examines which factors are associated with unbanked households that are more (or less) likely to open a bank account. We use data from the FDIC National Surveys of Unbanked and Underbanked Households and assess the likelihoods of opening a bank account for different groups of unbanked households divided based on their prior banking status and interest in having a bank account. Unbanked households that previously had a bank account and are interested in having a bank account are more likely to open an account. These households tend to be unemployed, more educated, and native born, to have access to digital technologies, to use alternative financial services, and to be unbanked because of unfavorable bank account features. In contrast, households that never had a bank account and are uninterested in a bank account are less likely to open an account. These households tend to be not in the labor force, less educated, of a racial minority, and foreign born, to lack access to digital technologies, and to rely heavily on cash. Moreover, they tend to distrust banks. Advancing financial inclusion for this group will require strategies to increase their trust in the financial services industry.</span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":47522,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148619523000498","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BUSINESS, FINANCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Promoting bank account ownership is important because having a bank account is the foundation for households’ financial well-being. Unbanked households differ in their likelihood of opening a bank account, and understanding the factors associated with these differences can help policymakers and industry stakeholders to tailor financial inclusion strategies. This study examines which factors are associated with unbanked households that are more (or less) likely to open a bank account. We use data from the FDIC National Surveys of Unbanked and Underbanked Households and assess the likelihoods of opening a bank account for different groups of unbanked households divided based on their prior banking status and interest in having a bank account. Unbanked households that previously had a bank account and are interested in having a bank account are more likely to open an account. These households tend to be unemployed, more educated, and native born, to have access to digital technologies, to use alternative financial services, and to be unbanked because of unfavorable bank account features. In contrast, households that never had a bank account and are uninterested in a bank account are less likely to open an account. These households tend to be not in the labor force, less educated, of a racial minority, and foreign born, to lack access to digital technologies, and to rely heavily on cash. Moreover, they tend to distrust banks. Advancing financial inclusion for this group will require strategies to increase their trust in the financial services industry.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Economics and Business: Studies in Corporate and Financial Behavior. The Journal publishes high quality research papers in all fields of finance and in closely related fields of economics. The Journal is interested in both theoretical and applied research with an emphasis on topics in corporate finance, financial markets and institutions, and investments. Research in real estate, insurance, monetary theory and policy, and industrial organization is also welcomed. Papers that deal with the relation between the financial structure of firms and the industrial structure of the product market are especially encouraged.