Abstract

LOPEZ DE LA MADRID, María Cristina et al. Consumption habits of college student: The case of the Centro Universitario del Sur, of the University of Guadalajara. Nova scientia [online]. 2015, vol.7, n.13, pp.352-373. ISSN 2007-0705.

Introduction: When entering to higher education, both, parents and students have a basic idea of the costs to be covered in the coming years; however, most will have needs that were not contemplated, which can generate economic imbalance in the family budget. To know the spending habits of higher students, an investigation that included general aspects as: characteristic of students, monthly income and egress, expenditure items and service coverage. Method: The study was cross-sectional, with the application of a survey of a stratified and statistically reliable sample of students of the Centro Universitario del Sur, of the University of Guadalajara, México. The survey was conducted via Facebook and e-mal, and 2,201 surveys were collected. For validation, we apply a pilot test for 84 students who answered a questionnaire to assess clarity, relevance, order of questions and drafting. To measure internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha was calculated, obtaining a value of .904, so that the instrument is highly reliable. Results: The results indicate that there are a variety of expenses that students have to make in the course of his studies; there is a disparity between the income received and expenditure made monthly. The areas in which they spend most of the students were food, transportation and materials study, and spend the least were fixed, arts and culture activities and sports most of which are free. Discussion or Conclusion: Students noted that at the beginning of his career, unaware of the different areas in which they had to spend in the university. They consider that, in general, Ciudad Guzmán has sufficient basic services to meet their needs. However, we note that there are development opportunities in the areas of entertainment and sport, because although students consider that the demand is met, it would be appropriate to increase them to have a wider range of options.

Keywords : compsumtions habits; college students; spendings needs; financial support; higher education.

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