Impact of financial literacy on financial well-being: a mediational role of financial self-efficacy

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of financial literacy on financial well-being among the business school faculties. Both the variables (financial literacy and financial well-being) are operationalized as multi-dimensional constructs to undertake the study. Moreover, the paper also endeavored to examine the mediating role of financial self-efficacy between financial literacy and financial well-being. The paper adopts a survey by questionnaire method to gather data from 203 business school faculty members through the simple random sampling (SRS) technique. Confirmatory factor analysis was used for scale validation, and structural equation modeling was used for hypotheses testing. Mediation was tested using percentile bootstrap with a 95% confidence interval. The study found a significantly positive impact of financial literacy as well as its dimensions on financial self-efficacy and financial well-being. It was also found that financial self-efficacy partially mediates the effect of financial literacy on financial well-being. Measurement of the constructs was done on subjective measures, and the study is limited to business school faculties only. The present research findings could be employed in crafting educational programs for business schools. These programs shall guide such institutions in imparting the knowledge and skills among students regarding their personal finances in terms of savings and retirement planning. The study was focused on the business school faculties of the Jammu and Kashmir region, who are less exposed to the financial literacy programs due to factors like frequent lockdown and internet shutdowns. Moreover, it is generally witnessed that salaried class people in Jammu and Kashmir pay less attention to long-term financial planning for retirement, which makes the present study more relevant. Therefore, this study will prove beneficial to all the employees, especially the business school faculties, to understand the importance of financial literacy and its subsequent effect on financial well-being.