Spending habits among Malaysian University students.

This study focuses on spending habits among Malaysian University students. There are several
objectives why this survey is been carried out.

1. To determine the spending habits toward gender among university students.

2. To determine whether their money support influenced their spending habits.
3. To study the factors that influences the university students on their spending habits.
4. To determine whether they have financial plan on their spending.

Research questions

These are some questions that will lead to my objectives.

1. Does female students spend more than male students?

2. Does their money support effected their spending habits?
3. What influence them to buy something that they don’t even need?
4. Do they have financial plan?
5. Do they follow their financial plan?

Report

This survey is being passed around in a few universities from 12 May 2015 until 27 May 2015. Due
to the short time, I only have 52 respondents all together.

1.0 Does female students spend more than male students?

Out of 52 respondents, there are 7 males who answers this survey which is 13.5% and there are 45
respondents from female which is 86.5%.
This result shows where students spent most of their money which are food, shopping,
entertainment, education, gadgets, travelling and others. Based on the analysis, females and males
spent on a different types of things.

Females Males
FOOD 42 7
SHOPPING 23 2
ENTERTAINMENT 8 3
EDUCATION 22 2
GADGETS 3 2
TRAVELLING 7 1
OTHERS 2 0

The table above shows food has the highest number of respondents from females and males. 42
female students choose food while all males students which is 7 also choose food as where they
often spent their money. The second highest from female students is shopping which is 23 contrast
with males student which is entertainment with 3 students out of 7. This result shows that females
prefer to spend their money on shopping more than the males who prefer to spend on
entertainment. In overall, we can see females mostly spent more on food, shopping and education.
While males prefer to spend more on food, entertainment and gadgets.
2.0 Does their money support effected their spending habits?

Out of 52 respondents, 26 students get their money support from their parents which is 49.0%, 6
(11.3%) students from part time job and 21 students from loan which is 39.6%. Based on this money
support, we will see now how much they spend their money per week.

RM 10-30 RM 40-50 RM60-100 RM100 and above

PARENTS 6 13 6 1
PART TIME JOB 1 1 3 1
LOAN 4 7 8 1

Students who got their money from their parents, mostly spent around RM 40 to RM 50 per week.
While students who has a part time job mostly spent about RM 60 to RM 100 per week. And
students who took loan spent their money around RM 60 to RM 100. Students who took loan tend
to spend more than students who get their money support from their parents and part time job.
3.0 Does their family income effected their spending habits.

This survey shows different family income from each respondents. This question was made in order
to find out whether their family income effected on how much students spend their money.

RM 10 – 30 RM 40 - 50 RM 60 - 100 RM 100 and

above
RM 1000 and 5 4 3 1
below
RM 2000 - 9000 6 16 11 2
RM 10000 and 0 1 3 0
above

From the table above, students who have family income RM1000 and below spent only RM10 to RM
30 per week and students who have family income RM 2000 to RM 9000 spent RM 40-50 while
students from a wealthy family spent around RM 60 to RM 100 in a week. As we can see, family
income give an effect in how students spend their money. Students who came from a wealthy family
spend more than the poorer.

4.0 What influence them to buy something that they don’t even need?
On the chart above, we can see that 35 students answer yes to the question whether they ever buy
something that they don’t even need. Meanwhile, only 18 students who answers no.

In correspond to the question above, 28 students says that sales promotion is the one that attract
them to buy something that they is not necessary. Meanwhile, 15 students says advertising is also
one of the factor that cause it and 12 students say it is because of peer pressure.

5.0 Does financial plan effect their spending habits?

Out of 52 respondents, 25 students doesn’t have financial plan and 28 students says they have
financial plan in their life.
Although most students do not have financial plan, 39 students says they spend within their budget
almost all the time and only 10 students who say no. There are a few reasons why some say yes and
some say no.

For students who say yes on how they spend their money within their budget are because they like
to save money and because they made a list before they buy something. Meanwhile, for those who
doesn’t spend their money within their budget are because they just follow their own desires and
others things keep attracted them .

Conclusion

Spending habits can be influenced by a lot of things. For example, females tend to spend money on
shopping rather than boys who prefer entertainment more than anything. Family income and
money support also play an important role in students spending habits. Students with a higher
family salary can spend more than the one who have less and students who took loan also tend to
spend higher as they have more money than the students who depend solely on their parents.
Students are also easily attracted to buy something unnecessary due to the sales promotion
attraction. Lastly, most of the student doesn’t have financial plan but still manage to spend within
their budget.

Based on the past analysis and questionnaire on the internet, some of the results that I get here are
the same but some are not. For example, students that don’t have financial plan should not be able
to spend within their budget but maybe due to the less number of respondents ,I got completely
different result.

I think this is a good survey to be conducted for as I got to know how Malaysian university students
spend their money in everyday life.