Regional Features of the Financial Literacy the Population of the Sverdlovsk Region

Abstract

The presented research is devoted to analysis of the principles and optimality criteria for the structure of household financial resources, formed on the basis of surveys of a sample of 5,842 respondents from the Sverdlovsk region based on the author’s methodology for assessing the level of financial literacy and the structure of citizens expenses. The initial hypothesis about the influence of the level of financial literacy of the population on the structure of household spending has been verified. Examples of author questionnaires are presented, developed taking into account the methodological support of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and the NAFR Analytical Centre. The conclusion is substantiated that more financially literate people are inclined to plan income and expenses and are able to evaluate the structure of their expenses from the position of optimality. The study is supplemented by an analysis of an array of statistical information on indicators of the financial situation of the population of the cities of the Sverdlovsk region. The purpose of the study is to verify the relationship between the level of financial literacy of the population of the Sverdlovsk region and the structure of household spending based on a subjective assessment of optimality by respondents. General methodology of this study is a sociological survey, which adapted by the authors from the methods of the Central Bank of Russian Federation and OECD countries for the conditions of the Sverdlovsk region. The scientific message is interfaced with the model of J. Nash. Main results of this research is: 1) the hypothesis about the influence of the level of financial literacy of the population on the optimality of the structure of household spending is substantiated; 2) author principles and optimality criteria for the structure of household financial resources based on cost structure have been developed.