Determinants of risky buy-now-pay-later intentions and behaviors of Vietnamese students

This study explores psychological and social factors that contribute to risky buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) intentions and behaviors among college students. This study was designed quantitatively and surveyed 1147 students in Vietnam. The partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses. The results indicate that students with greater knowledge about financial risk are more likely to avoid risky BNPL behaviors. In contrast, students who have a positive attitude toward risk consumer credit and an external locus of control tend to favor risky BNPL. Additionally, the external locus of control plays a role in moderating the predictive relationship between risky BNPL intention and behavior. Finally, this study also found a difference in the effect level of the factors between groups of students divided by gender and major.