Your money, your life: Experiences of young people’s borrowing

Event details

At this seminar, we will share young people’s (aged 18-24) personal experiences of borrowing and their use of unsecured credit.

Abstract

Young people in the UK have been identified as having high levels of unsecured credit use, alongside low levels of financial well-being, and little resilience to protect them from financial shocks.  This matters because the use of credit can have implications for young people’s financial well-being and future financial decision-making as they transition toward independence.    

At this seminar, we will share young people’s (aged 18-24) personal experiences of borrowing and their use of unsecured credit across the UK. We explore how credit was seen as an essential part of everyday life, due to a broader normalisation of credit in society and as a tool to manage their financial well-being. We also show how a series of ‘hackathons’ – participatory, solutions-focused workshops - helped inform young people to design effective and relevant solutions to support their financial well-being. This put young people at the centre of the decision-making process and allowed them to influence how their financial well-being should be best supported in relation to credit and borrowing.

Biography 

Dr Lindsey Appleyard is an economic geographer with interdisciplinary research interests in financial geographies. Lindsey’s recent research has focused on reducing financial vulnerability. Through Lindsey’s networks and collaborations, her body of research aims to make a significant impact by influencing policy and practice to develop financially resilient communities. Since 2017, Lindsey has been successfully awarded over £900k of funding for research and impact from a range of sources, including UKRI, abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, Barrow Cadbury Trust. Lindsey has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and through broadcast, print, and social media, Lindsey regularly engages with the public.

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