Financial Knowledge and Behaviour Across European Regions: Evidence from Visegrád Countries
Monika MUCSKOVA – Peter MICAK
https://doi.org/10.18267/pr.2026.vol.2587.24
Abstract: This paper analyses differences in financial literacy dimensions across European regions, with a particular focus on the Visegrád countries. Using data from Flash Eurobarometer 525, the paper examines financial knowledge, financial behaviour, and a composite overall financial literacy score drawing on nationally representative samples across the examined countries. The analysis addresses two research questions: whether statistically significant differences exist among individual Visegrád countries and how the Visegrád countries compare with selected European regions (the Baltic, Nordic, and Benelux countries). The results indicate no significant differences within the Visegrád group, while cross-regional comparisons reveal a distinctive regional profile, most notably an observed disconnect between financial knowledge and financial behaviour across regions, and a Visegrád overall literacy score statistically comparable to the Baltics but below the Nordic and Benelux countries. By applying a comparative regional perspective, this paper contributes to the understanding of how historically and institutionally distinct European regions can have diverse financial literacy profiles, with implications for the design of context-sensitive policies and for practitioners seeking to understand consumer financial behaviour across international markets.
Keywords: financial literacy, financial knowledge, financial behaviour, Visegrád countries, cross-national comparison
JEL Classification codes: G53, D14, P36
Fulltext: PDF
Published by: Prague University of Economics and Business, Oeconomica Publishing House
Year of publication: 2026
Online publication date: 20 May 2026
Copyright: Authors of the papers
ISBN 978-80-245-2587-7
ISSN 2453-6113
Pages 290-300