Determinants of individuals’ objective and subjective financial fragility during the COVID-19 pandemic

Stefanie Kleimeier, Arvid O.I. Hoffmann, Marie-Hélène Broihanne, Daria Plotkina and Anja S. Göritz

Journal of Banking & Finance, 2023, vol. 153, issue C

Abstract: We examine determinants of the objective and subjective financial fragility of 2100 individuals across Australia, France, Germany, and South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective financial fragility reflects individuals’ (in)ability to deal with unexpected expenses, while subjective financial fragility reflects their emotional response to financial demands. Controlling for an extensive set of socio-demographics, we find that negative personal experiences during the pandemic (i.e., reduced or lost employment; COVID-19 infection) are associated with higher objective and subjective financial fragility. However, individuals’ cognitive (i.e., financial literacy) as well as non-cognitive abilities (i.e., internal locus of control; psychological resilience) help to counteract this higher financial fragility. Finally, we examine the role of government financial support (i.e., income support; debt relief) and find that it is negatively related to financial fragility only for the economically weakest households. Our results have implications for public policymakers, providing levers for reducing individuals’ objective and subjective financial fragility.

Keywords: Financial fragility; Financial literacy; Government support; Internal locus of control; Psychological resilience (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D14 G41 G53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbfina:v:153:y:2023:i:c:s037842662300105x

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2023.106881

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