Frontiers in psychology
The psychology of digital credit: the association of financial anxiety and impulsive traits with "buy now, pay later" delinquency
By Ma C, Ge M, Gu M and 1 others.
Abstract
Introduction
Digital credit structures, exemplified by the "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL) model, combine frictionless transactional accessibility with the underlying psychological vulnerabilities of users. This cross-sectional investigation maps the statistical covariation between perceived financial anxiety and distinct digital credit usage dimensions.
Methods
Utilizing a dataset of 890 respondents (708 of whom are active BNPL users), regression and mediation analyses was conducted. The study evaluated subjective financial anxiety, BNPL usage (frequency, dependence, hedonic preference, and delinquency), impulsive buying tendency, and objective financial literacy.