IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp13884.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Measuring Financial Wellbeing with Self-Reported and Bank-Record Data

Author

Listed:
  • Comerton-Forde, Carole

    (University of New South Wales)

  • de New, John

    (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research)

  • Salamanca, Nicolás

    (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research)

  • Ribar, David C.

    (Georgia State University)

  • Nicastro, Andrea

    (Commonwealth Bank of Australia)

  • Ross, James

    (Commonwealth Bank of Australia)

Abstract

This study develops multi-item scales of the financial wellbeing of customers of a major Australian bank using self-reported survey data that are matched with the customers' financial records. Using Item Response Theory (IRT) models, the study develops: First a Reported Financial Wellbeing Scale that is formed from responses to 10 questions about people's experiences and perceptions of financial outcomes, and second an Observed Financial Wellbeing Scale that is formed from five financial-record measures of customers' account balances, net spending, and payment problems. The IRT models show that each scale reliably differentiates between a wide range of outcomes and that the components within each scale have similar power to discriminate. We validate the scales by estimating Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator machine-learning models of how they correlate with other measurable characteristics. Savings habits, spending habits, credit card behavior, household income, education, difficulties with housing payments, and the use of and access to social or government support are each associated with both types of financial wellbeing.

Suggested Citation

  • Comerton-Forde, Carole & de New, John & Salamanca, Nicolás & Ribar, David C. & Nicastro, Andrea & Ross, James, 2020. "Measuring Financial Wellbeing with Self-Reported and Bank-Record Data," IZA Discussion Papers 13884, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp13884
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp13884.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. J. Michael Collins & Carly Urban, 2020. "Measuring financial well-being over the lifecourse," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(4-5), pages 341-359, March.
    2. Stephan Meier & Charles Sprenger, 2010. "Present-Biased Preferences and Credit Card Borrowing," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(1), pages 193-210, January.
    3. Annamaria Lusardi & Olivia S. Mitchell, 2014. "The Economic Importance of Financial Literacy: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 52(1), pages 5-44, March.
    4. Arber, Sara & Fenn, Kirsty & Meadows, Robert, 2014. "Subjective financial well-being, income and health inequalities in mid and later life in Britain," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 12-20.
    5. Greninger, Sue A. & Hampton, Vickie L. & Kitt, Karrol A. & Achacoso, Joseph A., 1996. "Ratios and benchmarks for measuring the financial well-being of families and individuals," Financial Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 57-70.
    6. Brüggen, Elisabeth C. & Hogreve, Jens & Holmlund, Maria & Kabadayi, Sertan & Löfgren, Martin, 2017. "Financial well-being: A conceptualization and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 228-237.
    7. Bound, John & Brown, Charles & Mathiowetz, Nancy, 2001. "Measurement error in survey data," Handbook of Econometrics, in: J.J. Heckman & E.E. Leamer (ed.), Handbook of Econometrics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 59, pages 3705-3843, Elsevier.
    8. Richard G Netemeyer & Dee Warmath & Daniel Fernandes & John G LynchJr. & Eileen FischerEditor & Olivier ToubiaAssociate Editor, 2018. "How Am I Doing? Perceived Financial Well-Being, Its Potential Antecedents, and Its Relation to Overall Well-Being," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 45(1), pages 68-89.
    9. Sam Allgood & William B. Walstad, 2016. "The Effects Of Perceived And Actual Financial Literacy On Financial Behaviors," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 54(1), pages 675-697, January.
    10. Brown, Sarah & Gray, Daniel, 2016. "Household finances and well-being in Australia: An empirical analysis of comparison effects," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 17-36.
    11. Maximilian D. Schmeiser & Jason S. Seligman, 2013. "Using the Right Yardstick: Assessing Financial Literacy Measures by Way of Financial Well-Being," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(2), pages 243-262, July.
    12. Emily N Garbinsky & Joe J Gladstone & Hristina Nikolova & Jenny G Olson & Margaret C Campbell & Susan M Broniarczyk, 2020. "Love, Lies, and Money: Financial Infidelity in Romantic Relationships [“Cognitive Interdependence: Commitment and the Mental Representation of Close Relationships,”]," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 47(1), pages 1-24.
    13. Paul Gerrans & Craig Speelman & Guillermo Campitelli, 2014. "The Relationship Between Personal Financial Wellness and Financial Wellbeing: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 35(2), pages 145-160, June.
    14. Michael Gutter & Zeynep Copur, 2011. "Financial Behaviors and Financial Well-Being of College Students: Evidence from a National Survey," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 32(4), pages 699-714, December.
    15. Jens Bonke & Martin Browning, 2009. "The distribution of financial well-being and income within the household," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 31-42, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Amany A. El Anshasy & Mrittika Shamsuddin & Marina-Selini Katsaiti, 2023. "Financial Wellbeing and International Migration Intentions: Evidence from Global Surveys," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(7), pages 2261-2289, October.
    2. Robert Powell & Anh Do & Denise Gengatharen & Jaime Yong & Rasiah Gengatharen, 2023. "The relationship between responsible financial behaviours and financial wellbeing: The case of buy‐now‐pay‐later," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(4), pages 4431-4451, December.
    3. Ferdi Botha & John P. New & Sonja C. New & David C. Ribar & Nicolás Salamanca, 2021. "Implications of COVID-19 labour market shocks for inequality in financial wellbeing," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(2), pages 655-689, April.
    4. Botha, Ferdi & de New, John P. & de New, Sonja C. & Ribar, David C. & Salamanca, Nicolás, 2020. "COVID-19 labour market shocks and their inequality implications for financial wellbeing," GLO Discussion Paper Series 661, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    5. Stephen Roll & Olga Kondratjeva & Sam Bufe & Michal Grinstein-Weiss & Stephanie Skees, 2022. "Assessing the Short-Term Stability of Financial Well-Being in Low- and Moderate-Income Households," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 100-127, March.
    6. Lan Sun & Garrick Small & Yueh-Hsia Huang & Tyng-Bin Ger, 2022. "Financial Shocks, Financial Stress and Financial Resilience of Australian Households during COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-13, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ifra Bashir & Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, 2023. "A Systematic Literature Review on Personal Financial Well-Being: The Link to Key Sustainable Development Goals 2030," FIIB Business Review, , vol. 12(1), pages 31-48, March.
    2. Mahendru, Mandeep & Sharma, Gagan Deep & Pereira, Vijay & Gupta, Mansi & Mundi, Hardeep Singh, 2022. "Is it all about money honey? Analyzing and mapping financial well-being research and identifying future research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 417-436.
    3. Osvaldo García-Mata & Mariana Zerón-Félix, 2022. "A review of the theoretical foundations of financial well-being," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 69(2), pages 145-176, June.
    4. Ifra Bashir & Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, 2023. "Analysing Literature on Financial Well-being: A Bibliometric Approach," Paradigm, , vol. 27(2), pages 111-135, December.
    5. Botha, Ferdi & Ribar, David C., 2023. "For worse? Financial hardships and intra-household resource allocation among Australian couples," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    6. Dung Phuong Hoang & Thi Hong Hai Nguyen & Nham Linh Vuong & Dat Luong, 2023. "Linking psychological needs, perceived financial well-being and loyalty: the role of commercial banks," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 28(3), pages 466-487, September.
    7. Vieira, Kelmara Mendes & Potrich, Ani Caroline Grigion & Bressan, Aureliano Angel & Klein, Leander Luiz, 2021. "Loss of financial well-being in the COVID-19 pandemic: Does job stability make a difference?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(C).
    8. Steffen Westermann & Scott J. Niblock & Jennifer L. Harrison & Michael A. Kortt, 2020. "Financial Advice Seeking: A Review of the Barriers and Benefits," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 39(4), pages 367-388, December.
    9. Lu Fan & Robin Henager, 2022. "A Structural Determinants Framework for Financial Well-Being," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 43(2), pages 415-428, June.
    10. Amany A. El Anshasy & Mrittika Shamsuddin & Marina-Selini Katsaiti, 2023. "Financial Wellbeing and International Migration Intentions: Evidence from Global Surveys," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(7), pages 2261-2289, October.
    11. Gagandeep Kaur & Manjit Singh & Sanjay Gupta, 2023. "Analysis of key factors influencing individual financial well-being using ISM and MICMAC approach," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 1533-1559, April.
    12. Sajid, Muhammad & Mushtaq, Rizwan & Murtaza, Ghulam & Yahiaoui, Dorra & Pereira, Vijay, 2024. "Financial literacy, confidence and well-being: The mediating role of financial behavior," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    13. Long She & Lan Ma & Saeed Pahlevan Sharif & Sitara Karim, 2024. "Millennials’ financial behaviour and financial well-being: the moderating role of future orientation," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 29(4), pages 1207-1224, December.
    14. Bashir Ifra & Qureshi Ishtiaq, 2023. "Financial Well-Being and Financial Stress: Examining the Moderating Effect of Gender," Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 11(1), pages 1-17, October.
    15. Nisha Prakash & Aparna Hawaldar, 2024. "Investigating the Determinants of Financial Well-Being: A SEM Approach," Business Perspectives and Research, , vol. 12(1), pages 11-25, January.
    16. Ferdi Botha & John P. New & Sonja C. New & David C. Ribar & Nicolás Salamanca, 2021. "Implications of COVID-19 labour market shocks for inequality in financial wellbeing," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(2), pages 655-689, April.
    17. Piotr Bialowolski & Dorota Weziak-Bialowolska & Eileen McNeely, 2021. "The Role of Financial Fragility and Financial Control for Well-Being," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 155(3), pages 1137-1157, June.
    18. Malik, Faiza & Ishaq, Muhammad Ishtiaq, 2023. "Impact of minimalist practices on consumer happiness and financial well-being," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    19. Gerrans, Paul, 2021. "Undergraduate student financial education interventions: Medium term evidence of retention, decay, and confidence in financial literacy," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    20. Gentjan Çera & Khurram Ajaz Khan & Jaroslav Belas & Humberto Nuno Rito Ribeiro, 2020. "The Role of Financial Capability and Culture in Financial Satisfaction," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 39(4), pages 389-406, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    item response theory models; financial behavior; bank-record data; financial wellbeing; machine learning; LASSO;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp13884. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Holger Hinte (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaade.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.