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Volume 12 Issue 1

Factors influencing young adult's debt in Malaysia

Published: 05 Oct 2017 Issue:Volume 12 Issue 1 Oct 2017 Author details below

Azira Abdul Adzis

University Utara Malaysia

Juhaida Abu Bakar

University Utara Malaysia

Hanita Kadir Shahar

University Utara Malaysia

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Research summary

        This study explores factors affecting debt level among young adults in Malaysia.  Previous studies have linked material values, money management skills, and economic factors to credit card debt and student debt, but this study extends the previous research by investigating various forms of consumers’ debt in an emerging market where vulnerable youths are frequently bombarded with materialistic media messages that trigger their spending behaviour. In particular, variables such as pursuits of materialistic attitudes, money management attributes, and income level are examined in this study to see whether they are predictors of youth debt in Malaysia. A self-administered survey on 629 respondents centered around northern part of Malaysia was conducted based on convenience and judgmental sampling techniques.

        The findings suggest that money management skills and income level significantly influence the debt level of Malaysian young adults. Interestingly, materialism variable is insignificant, implying that young Malaysians represented in this sample do not possess materialistic attitude that lead to indebtness. The findings provide insights to the policy maker and the government to inculcate awareness of basic money management skills to ensure that the younger generation does not fall into the state of excessive debt which could lead to financial insolvency.

Article History

Published 05 Oct 2017

How to Cite

Adzis, A. A., Bakar, J. A., & Shahar, H. K.. (2017). Factors influencing young adult's debt in Malaysia. Journal of Business and Retail Management Research, Volume 12 Issue 1.

Citation Context

Archive cited by No internal citing article yet
Reference depth 44 sources listed
DOI record DOI not listed
Citation signal 10 recorded citations

APA

Adzis, A. A., Bakar, J. A., & Shahar, H. K.. (2017). Factors influencing young adult's debt in Malaysia. Journal of Business and Retail Management Research, Volume 12 Issue 1.

MLA

Adzis, Azira Abdul, et al.. "Factors influencing young adult's debt in Malaysia." Journal of Business and Retail Management Research, Volume 12 Issue 1, 2017.

Chicago

Azira Abdul Adzis, Juhaida Abu Bakar, and Hanita Kadir Shahar. "Factors influencing young adult's debt in Malaysia." Journal of Business and Retail Management Research Volume 12 Issue 1 (05 Oct 2017).

Harvard

Adzis, A. A., Bakar, J. A., & Shahar, H. K. (2017) Factors influencing young adult's debt in Malaysia. Journal of Business and Retail Management Research, Volume 12 Issue 1

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