Ireland recently appointed its first financial literacy ambassadors, with financial education set to play a role in the new savings and investment (SIA) account.
Could financial literacy also have an unexpected benefit: reducing crime?
A recent US study published in the Journal of Financial Economics suggests as much. It examined the effect of a compulsory financial education course introduced in Virginia schools, with the researchers comparing young people who just missed out on the course with those who received it.
The difference was striking, with those who took the course 37 per cent less likely to commit financial crimes as young adults.
The effect was even more dramatic for embezzlement, where the reduction was more than 60 per cent.
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The drop was especially obvious among people from poorer neighbourhoods, where they were 42 to 48 per cent less likely to commit a financial crime.
There was no noticeable change among people from wealthier neighbourhoods. Why? Well, those who received the financial education were 51 per cent more likely to maintain a savings account; their assets allocated to the stock market nearly doubled; they also reduced their use of high-interest debt.
Financial literacy can reduce economic and financial “constraints”, the researchers suggest. Put simply, better financial habits build a financial cushion, reducing the financial pressures that can contribute to crime.
Certainly, it’s not as if financial education has some magical effect that makes people more law-abiding generally. The course had no significant effect on violent crime, drug offences, or vandalism. Its impact was concentrated on financial crime.
For policymakers hoping to build a more financially literate population, then, the potential pay-off may extend well beyond helping people to become better savers and investors. It might also mean fewer criminals.