Learning to be digital consumers. How to improve young people’s financial skills in a technologically driven consumer society? (DigiConsumers) (DigiConsumers)
The research was funded by Strategic Research Council at the Research Council of Finland.
Main funder
Funder's project number: 327243
Funds granted by main funder (€)
- 384 157,00
Funding program
Project timetable
Project start date: 01/06/2019
Project end date: 31/08/2022
Summary
Technological development and digitalization have caused major changes to consumer cultures and financial behavior of young people, in particular. It is widely acknowledged that the digitalization of consumption and marketing requires new financial skills from young people, in particular. The DigiConsumers- project aims at developing tools for improving young people’s financial skills in digitalising consumer environments. How to keep up in the economic turbulence of the future, and how to promote the readiness of our youth in the future global world that calls for increasingly innovative ways of solving complex problems?
The main research questions are:
1. How is digital technology changing young people’s consumer cultures and financial behavior, and which social and cognitive-affective factors have an impact on consumption? What kinds of challenges and advantages technological development has brought forth?
2. What kinds of educational tools are needed for educational institutes, families and policy makers to improve young people’s financial and digital skills and consumer competence?
3. How to improve the ethical conduct of digital marketing and online services targeted to young people, in order to create a socially, ethically and economically sustainable consumer society?
In order to understand the social, cultural and personal factors affecting young people’s financial behaviour in digital consumer environments, our consortium utilizes multi-disciplinary expertise of experienced researchers from the fields of sociology, psychology, and cognitive science (WP1, WP2). To involve the context of school and learning, analyzing the results of PISA, for instance, the expertise of educational sciences is important (WP3, WP2). In the field of economics (WP4), understanding the financial behavior of young people and families and developing game-based interventions and digital tools to improve financial literacy is also central in this project.
We expect DigiConsumers to produce directly applicable scientific knowledge on young people’s financial and digital skills and related problems and advantages, and impacting social and subjective factors. We will recognise the challenges in this process, and develop practical tools for improving consumer competence and financial education in families, schools, relevant public institutions and NGOs. In the long run, the results of DigiConsumers will build a socially and economically sustainable information society.
The main research questions are:
1. How is digital technology changing young people’s consumer cultures and financial behavior, and which social and cognitive-affective factors have an impact on consumption? What kinds of challenges and advantages technological development has brought forth?
2. What kinds of educational tools are needed for educational institutes, families and policy makers to improve young people’s financial and digital skills and consumer competence?
3. How to improve the ethical conduct of digital marketing and online services targeted to young people, in order to create a socially, ethically and economically sustainable consumer society?
In order to understand the social, cultural and personal factors affecting young people’s financial behaviour in digital consumer environments, our consortium utilizes multi-disciplinary expertise of experienced researchers from the fields of sociology, psychology, and cognitive science (WP1, WP2). To involve the context of school and learning, analyzing the results of PISA, for instance, the expertise of educational sciences is important (WP3, WP2). In the field of economics (WP4), understanding the financial behavior of young people and families and developing game-based interventions and digital tools to improve financial literacy is also central in this project.
We expect DigiConsumers to produce directly applicable scientific knowledge on young people’s financial and digital skills and related problems and advantages, and impacting social and subjective factors. We will recognise the challenges in this process, and develop practical tools for improving consumer competence and financial education in families, schools, relevant public institutions and NGOs. In the long run, the results of DigiConsumers will build a socially and economically sustainable information society.
Principal Investigator
Other persons related to this project (JYU)
Contact person (yes/no): Yes |
Primary responsible unit
Follow-up groups
Profiling area: Multidisciplinary research on learning and teaching (University of Jyväskylä JYU) MultiLeTe
Related publications and other outputs
- Koronavuosi kolmessa maassa : tutkimus COVID-19 -pandemian vaikutuksista arkeen, kulutukseen ja digikäyttäytymiseen Suomessa, Ruotsissa ja Iso-Britanniassa (2021) Wilska, Terhi-Anna; et al.; D4; OA; 978-951-39-8758-9
- Nuorten työpajatoiminnan vaikutus opintoihin ja työllisyyteen (2021) Kirjavainen, Tanja; A1; OA
- Kulutus koronan aikaan - ja sen jälkeen : tutkimus COVID-19-epidemian rajoitustoimien vaikutuksesta kuluttajien käyttäytymiseen, taloudelliseen toimintaan ja hyvinvointiin (2020) Wilska, Terhi; et al.; D4; OA; 978-951-39-8180-8