Effects of Canadian Recession on University Studentsa Buying Behavior

Abstract

The recent 2008 financial storm that hit the global markets has touched almost every economy around the world, in turn affecting consumers. During such economic downturns, it is expected that consumers will try to manage their expenses efficiently due to future uncertainty and fears. This paper is an effort to understand the theoretical framework of the financial crisis, its causes, consequences, and impact on the behavior of Canadian students' purchasing patterns. Purchasing decision-making is a complicated process and is linked to many internal as well as external factors that can directly impact consumer buying behavior. The situation gets more complicated when financial crisis and recession are linked to involved uncertainties. Consumer buying behavior and decision-making processes are discussed along with major individual, social, psychological, and situational influencing factors. To address the research questions and test the hypothesis of whether Canadian students at the university level were aware of the extent and consequences of the financial crisis, and to understand the impact on Canadian students' purchasing behavior, a survey questionnaire was designed and distributed to a calculated sample size within the student population at Queen's University located in Kingston, Ontario. Additional data were obtained from Lakehead University to verify the survey results conducted at Queen's University and to provide more credibility to the research study findings. Data were collected and analyzed consequently and the results indicated a strong trend of university students' being concerned about the impacts of the financial crisis, with high possible changing behavior to save money through shifting from purchasing brand products to store products, focusing only on necessary items, and eliminating entertainment costs as much as possible.