The Role of Financial Education in the Path Towards Sustainable Development

Abstract

Financial decisions are present in everyone's daily life. However, citizens do not always have sufficient knowledge to understand the consequences of their decisions and the risks taken. The lack of financial literacy can contribute, along with other factors, to making wrong financial decisions. This is why financial education becomes a key element to achieve a more sustainable and egalitarian future. This research presents a practical experience intended to foster financial education among high school students. The experience consisted in providing training workshops about financial topics, specifically adapted to the students' needs. The students' level of financial knowledge was evaluated and also their level of satisfaction with the experience. Results showed a high level of satisfaction and a significant improvement in their level of knowledge. The research also helped to identify the students' socio-demographic characteristics that explain the differences in their level of financial culture and their capacity for improvement.