The role of mothers in economic socialization of saving behaviour in Polish adolescents / El rol de las madres en la socialización ecónomica del comportamiento de ahorro de los adolescentes polacos

Abstract

The present study investigated the role of mothers in the economic socialization of saving-related attitudes, motives and behaviours in Polish adolescents. Research to date has shown that economic education in the family and parental models (especially the mother) are particularly important for the development of adolescent saving behaviour. Youth saving was hypothesized to be enhanced by active economic education (direct teaching) in the family and certain attitudes of mothers towards money (attitude modelling). A questionnaire-based approach was used and responses from 154 mother-adolescent (aged 13–19 years) dyads were analysed. Correlation and regression analyses showed that modelling of attitudes is more important for the formation of pro-saving attitudes and behaviour than direct teaching of children to engage in economic activities.