Financial literacy and financial behaviour

ABOUT THE STUDY

You are invited to participate in a research study conducted as part of the requirements for the Master of Business Administration qualification at Milpark Business School.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between exposure to financial literacy education and the financial behaviour of recent graduates and postgraduate students in South Africa. Your participation will involve completing a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire should take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

The study focuses on financial behaviours relating to budgeting, saving and investing, debt management, tax and compliance awareness and long-term financial planning. It aims to establish whether individuals who have been exposed to financial literacy education are more likely to demonstrate responsible financial behaviour than individuals with limited or no exposure. The study also recognises that financial behaviour may be influenced by wider factors, including employment status, income pressures, household background, student debt and broader socioeconomic factors.

ETHICAL APPROVAL

Ethical clearance: Milpark Business School, MBA2026/09/001. Full approval granted on 2 September 2026.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE

You must be 18 years of age or older and either have completed a qualification at a South African university, university of technology or private higher education institution within the last five years, or be currently enrolled in a postgraduate programme at such an institution.

PARTICIPATION

Participation in this study is entirely voluntary. You are under no obligation to participate, and you may withdraw at any point before submitting the questionnaire. Once the questionnaire has been submitted anonymously, it may not be possible to withdraw your individual responses, as they will not be linked to your identity.

RISKS AND BENEFITS

There are no anticipated significant risks associated with participation in this study. However, some questions may cause minor discomfort because they ask you to reflect on your financial behaviour. You may choose not to answer any question that makes you uncomfortable. The information collected will be used for academic research purposes only and may contribute to improved understanding of the research problem under investigation.

There may be no direct personal or financial benefit to you from participating in this study. However, your responses may contribute to a better understanding of whether financial literacy education adequately prepares graduates and postgraduate students for practical financial responsibilities.

PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

No personally identifiable information will be requested. The data collected will be treated confidentially and will be reported only in aggregate form. Individual responses will not be identified in the research report, dissertation or any related academic outputs.

The questionnaire will not request your income, debt balances, bank details, tax number, student number, employer name or any other directly identifying information. You are not required to answer any question that makes you feel uncomfortable and may exit the questionnaire at any time before submission without any negative consequences.

The information you provide will remain strictly confidential and will be used solely for the purposes of this research. Your responses will not be directly linked to your identity. The findings will be presented in aggregate form. No individual participant will be identified in the research proposal, dissertation, presentation or any related academic output. Only the researcher, research supervisor and authorised academic reviewers at Milpark Business School will have access to the research data.

DATA STORAGE AND RETENTION

The survey data will be downloaded and stored in a password-protected electronic file on a password-protected device. Access to the data will be restricted to the researcher and, where required, the supervisor and authorised academic reviewers. The research data will be retained for five years from the date of completion of the dissertation. At the end of the retention period, all electronic copies and backup copies will be permanently deleted from all storage locations.

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION

Participation is entirely voluntary, and you are under no obligation to participate in this research. There will be no penalty or disadvantage if you decide not to participate. Your decision to participate or not participate will not affect your relationship with the researcher, Milpark Business School, your university or employer. No payment will be offered for participation.

STUDY RESULTS

The results of the study will be included in the researcher’s MBA dissertation and may be presented in related academic outputs. Participants who would like to receive a summary of the results may contact the researcher using the contact details below. The results will only be made available after the dissertation has been completed and assessed.

CONTACT DETAILS

Researcher: Yaaseen Khan — Y.Khan4@my.Milpark.ac.za
Supervisor: Dr Anos Chitamba — AnosC@dut.ac.za
For questions regarding the ethical conduct of this study, contact research coordinator Zelna Hart at Zelna.Hart@Milpark.ac.za.

Please keep this information for your records.

YOUR CONSENT

By proceeding with the questionnaire, you confirm that:

• You have read and understood the information provided above.
• You understand that your participation is voluntary.
• You understand that your responses will be used for academic research purposes.
• You understand that your responses will be treated confidentially and reported in aggregate form.
• You consent to participate in this quantitative research study.