The research of the economic attitudes of Ukrainian youth: theoretical and practical aspects

Abstract

The article is a theoretical-empirical researchof the economic attitudes of Ukrainian students. Theoreticalanalysis has allowed the authors to outline a conceptualresearch scope under the framework of behavioraleconomics, which regards economic attitudes asone of the types of social attitudes in the dispositionalstructure of personality. The purpose of the researchis to conduct an empirical research of the featuresand patterns of economic attitudes of the student community;to consider a layered organization of economic attitudes and partial elements of factor ideas; to analyzecorrelation relationships between economicattitudes and indices of students’ economic status(the actual level of revenues and expenses). Researchmethods. The research and analysis of the featuresof economic attitudes of students have relied onO. Deineka and K. Zabielina survey for express diagnosticsof the economic attitudes of young people.It has allowed the authors to characterize the scopeof economic attitudes of a man in a holistic way, takinginto account different spheres of economic behaviorand socio-economic roles. Results. Based on quantitativeand qualitative data processing, the research hasestablished that the general level of economic attitudesof a study sample is above average. It has beenfound out that students’ assessment of their financialsituation as sufficient/insufficient does not depend onactual cash security but closely correlates with an overallindex of economic attitudes (r = .310; p ≤ .001). Thisfact proves that not a sum of money, but the very subjectiveassessment of its amount as sufficient/insufficientis instrumental in the attitude towards economicissues. The most significant factors influencingthe economic attitudes of youth are the factors of “economicorientation activity” and “economic planningand financial optimism”. Conclusions. Thus, a positiveattitude to economic issues is peculiar to those studentswho strive to be financially aware, be in the loopof economic and financial life in a country and predicttheir financial situation and economic prospects.