Transformational Impact of COVID-19 on Savings and Spending Patterns of Indian Rural Households

Abstract

COVID-19 has spread across the globe at a shocking level and significantly affects the world economy. The pandemic has significantly impacted rural households, the primary workforce for industrialized urban areas, in every sector of rural businesses, including agriculture. Furthermore, the dearth of employment in the primary industry has also adversely influenced rural inhabitants’ livelihood and financial decisions. COVID-19 changed the perception of people regarding their income and expenditure. This study is intended to analyse the transformation of savings and spending of rural households during COVID-19. A questionnaire was developed using a Likert scale to elicit study variables, and the collected data were analysed using structural equation modelling. The results showed that all types of savings had a positive and significant relationship with the savings motive of rural households during COVID-19. Further, customary and spontaneous spending had a positive and significant relationship spending pattern of rural households. Rural inhabitants were interested in compromising their spending and other forms of savings to have more emergency savings. Earlier studies have examined either the savings or the spending pattern of rural households, and studies on both savings and spending by rural households are very few. The present study thus adds to the existing literature in the field.