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Cited by 120Financial Literacy, Pension, Retirement AnalysisMedia Influence and HealthDecision-Making and Behavioral Economics

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 7 of the 7 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Harnessing Emotional Connections to Improve Financial Decisions: Evaluating the Impact of Financial Education in Mainstream Media

Berg, Gunhild, Zia, Bilal·2017·Journal of the European Economic Association
DOI 10.1093/jeea/jvw021
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Abstract

Responsible financial habits are important for economic welfare, yet it remains unclear whether they can be effectively taught. Entertainment media offers a unique and cost-effective channel of reaching millions of viewers with financial education messages that resonate. This paper uses random and symmetric encouragement methodology to study the economic impact of targeted messages on debt management and gambling scripted in a popular television soap opera in South Africa. The results show treated viewers score significantly higher on financial knowledge, are more likely to borrow from formal sources and for productive purposes, and are less likely to enter into retail credit or gamble. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of mechanisms show strong recall of messages conveyed by the lead character, which supports theories of psychological and emotional influences on decision-making.

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Crossref · 10.1093/jeea/jvw021

Cites

7 of 7 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Citations

Cites

Show all 7 references

Research works printed but not linked: 23

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Metadata

Authors
Berg, G., & Zia, B.
Affiliations
World Bank (US)
Corresponding author
  • Berg, Gunhild
  • Zia, Bilal
ORCID
Zia, Bilal
Venue
Journal of the European Economic Association
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2017-02-14
Volume
15
Issue
5
Pages
1025-1055
ISSN
  • 1542-4766 (ISSN-L)
  • 1542-4774
DOI
10.1093/jeea/jvw021
OpenAlex
W3121730031
Cited by
120
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 2
FWCI
25.69
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of the European Economic Association (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Finance › Financial Literacy, Pension, Retirement Analysis
  • Social Sciences › Communication › Media Influence and Health
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
Keywords
financial education, entertainment media, soap opera, debt management, gambling, financial knowledge, message recall, retail credit, South Africa

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Harnessing Emotional Connections to Improve Financial Decisions: Evaluating the Impact of Financial Education in Mainstream Media. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1093/jeea/jvw021
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Berg, G., & Zia, B. (2017). Harnessing Emotional Connections to Improve Financial Decisions: Evaluating the Impact of Financial Education in Mainstream Media. Journal of the European Economic Association. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeea/jvw021