Abstract
As part of Generation Y, university students are often of particular interest to marketers targeting the Youth in that a tertiary qualification is generally synonymous with a high future earning potential. This student segment is also highly coveted by credit providers and, in South Africa, there are indications that they are increasingly being targeted with credit products. Unfortunately, research indicates that up to 50 percent of credit-active 18 to 26 year-old consumers are battling to pay their debts. This makes it important to understand how students' attitudes and values influence their current and future credit use. As such, this study aimed to determine the influence of materialism and status consumption on South African Generation Y students' attitude towards money and credit, and credit intentions. Data were collected using a self-reporting questionnaire from a convenience sample of 630 Generation Y students registered at four higher education campuses. Data analysis comprised exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, reliability and construct validity analysis, and path analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis affirmed a five-factor model, which exhibited internal-consistency and composite reliability, construct validity and acceptable model fit. The results of the subsequent path analysis infer that Generation Y 114 students' materialism and status consumption tendencies are significant predictors of their attitude towards money, which, in turn, is a significant predictor of their attitude towards credit and future credit intentions. The findings suggest that materialistic and status consumption tendencies, together with a love for money contribute to Generation Y students' positive attitude towards credit and fosters their future credit usage intentions. Whilst this is no doubt good news for credit providers, it is incumbent upon Government, higher education institutions and, indeed, credit providers to educate the Youth concerning the responsible use of credit.