Hidden Drivers of Student Buy Now, Pay Later usage: Psychographics and the Frictionless Factor : The role of Psychographics and the Frictionless Factor as predictors of Buy Now, Pay Later usage for the student population

Sammanfattning

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) has become an increasingly normalized payment method in Sweden, particularly among younger consumers and students who may be more vulnerable toadopting unhealthy financial habits, lifestyles and psychographic attitudes. While previous research has attributed BNPL usage to poor financial literacy or financial constraints, these explanations may not fully account for the behavioural and psychological dimensions of deferred payment use. This thesis examines whether psychographic attitudes and lifestyles together with the frictionless factor, are associated with BNPL usage among Swedish university students. The study followed a quantitative approach based on survey data collected from 151 students at Jönköping University which was analysed in IBM SPSS. The theoretical framework utilized is the ABC model of attitudes, which enables analysis of the Affective, Behavioural and Cognitive components of student attitudes towards BNPL. The findings show significant positive relationships between BNPL usage and psychographic attitudes, the frictionless factor and financial constraint; although financial literacy was not found to be statistically significant. The results suggest that BNPL usage among students is not only associated with financial resources and knowledge, but also with lifestyles, attitudes, behavioural tendencies and reduced psychological friction in digital purchasing environments. These findings contribute to narrowing the research gap concerning BNPL usage and may provide relevant insights for firms, policymakers, and financial institutions regarding deferred-payment regulation, consumer financial safety, and the role of student attitudes and lifestyles