Student Debt, Attitudes Towards Debt, Impulsive Buying, and Financial Management

Abstract

The debt levels of current and ex-psychology students were compared with their attitudes towards debt, tendency towards impulsive buying, and their use of methods to reduce or limit debt. The percentage of students with some debt and their total debt levels increased with the level of university study. Tolerance toward debt followed the same pattern. Impulsive buying was not related to overall debt levels, suggesting that impulsive buying is not a major cause of student debt. Methods that could be used to reduce or limit debt were widely used by those whose debt level was high. In general, there was little indication that student debt could be attributed to financial recklessness.