Factors That Affect Student's Conservation Habits

Review of Related Literature

There is a relationship between the spending habits of a UP Cebu student and their conservation schemes, and this can be studied through discussing the circumstances that may influence young people’s spending habits.  Through referring to testimonies made over 20 years back, why conservation should be a big deal at present is easily traceable. With this, small scale conservation should be studied first to further understand how the big systems work. This research will determine money as a big aspect of a country’s development to elaborate on how different social classes are active influences to an individual’s spending habits. From that, this research will expand on the various aspects that influence a person’s spending habits and how lifestyle is a determining factor.

The world’s largest source of capital that costs the least expense is a country’s natural capital. According to Schumacher(1973) in the first chapter of his book Small is Beautiful, the capital provided by nature is far larger than ones by man, yet people don’t even realize it. He continued with saying that a big percent of our natural capital is being used mindlessly and rapidly, this makes it clear enough that the problem of production isn’t solved. From that excerpt the researcher can tell Schumacher was trying to point out that leaders should have long started conserving, as our natural capital is depleting with our continuous heedless use. That was also supported by Gobaisi’s(2004) statement on natural capital. Gobaisi referred natural capital as the stocks from the world that are huge assets to humans that has been facing a crisis since the 1990’s.

Economists treat fossil fuels (a popular natural capital) as resources that bring income (Schumacher, 1973). It is evident that way back, money is a big factor to the improvement of a country’s economy, even with the cost of natural resource. This problem was repeatedly addressed in the rest of Schumacher’s book.

Schumacher(1973) also supplied that the selfish demand for limitless economic material growth is not sustainable. He added that world leaders should first know how private systems work for us to find a possible alternate system that will fit the demands of the present society. Most of their concerns were inclined to the resources’ immediate depletion and that people should do something about it quick. In the smallest scale, every individual’s conservation habit counts. A further study on how people’s conservations habits vary is needed. For the sake of the continuously degrading environment, every individual must start to value the natural capital and think of conservation schemes.

Countries only start minding the natural resources when their economy is stable enough that their priorities shift. It is when the countries are developed that they have enough money to deal with the protection of resources. Quoting Soubbotina(2004), “... as countries become richer their priorities shift—they recognize the value of their natural resources, enact and enforce laws to protect those resources, and have the money to tackle environmental problems” (p 74). Soubbotina’s statement suggests that the richer the country becomes, the more their attention turns to sustaining natural resource. From this, the researcher observed that a country’s economic growth is somewhat parallel to that country’s chances of making the natural capital a priority. Returning to the researcher’s conclusion of Schumacher’s claims, in the smallest scale, a country’s economic development starts with every individual’s views on spending along with their conservation habits. The growing of a country’s economy is a warming for its people to learn to manage their spending.

Our spending habits could be influenced by: (1) following the way your parents (or other people always around you) handle money, (2) societal difference and standard of living, (3) religion, (4) personality and (5) media (LEE, 2012).

Adrian Furnham, a psychology professor from the University of London, published his research “The saving and spending habits of young people.” This research intended to find out where children’s money go to after they’re given. It also delved into questions similar to what this study aims to answer, such as the effect of having an intended budget to the money saved and the saving habits being parent’s request-driven or not. The focus of Furnham’s study was on sex and it had a different age group(ages 11-16). This study dealt with a variable similar to that of the researcher’s, which is spending habits.

His study involved the two sexes, male and female. From the analysis of their fathers’ jobs and family income, they were grouped in different social classes. The questionnaire the participants were given consisted of 2 parts. The first part dealt with how much money they earned, why they save and what they buy. The second part were statements on spending and saving that they had to choose whether they agree/disagree on it. The results showed that a difference in gender also brought a contrast in pocket money received and economical activeness.

Due to this study being conducted in Western countries where it is openly acceptable that children young as 14 get part time jobs, the males who manage to find jobs easier are able to gather money far faster that the females. Although this might be the case for some UP students, the researcher does not wish to delve further. Despite the advantage, Furnham still emphasized that females are more into saving and investing compared to males who are supposed to earn more.

One of the conclusions Furnham had, important for the researcher’s analysis, is its findings on the parent’s control of their children’s saving. Over 80% of the subjects revealed that their parents wouldn’t add money to their allowance if they ran out. This is an obvious indication that these children are more susceptible to saving compared to those whose parents do not control the money they give. Furthermore, this 80% consisted of children belonging to the middle class the most.

This is a clear reflection of common middle-class beliefs about using budget allotment to teach children about deferred gratification (Furnham, 1999). Deferred gratification is also a manifestation of saving for the future. Parents use this method to teach their children to save for something they want to get instead of asking for that item directly from them(McKay, 2015). With deferred gratification as a common lesson being exhibited by parents from the middle class to their children, the researcher could infer that children born from greater social classes does not get to experience delay of gratification as often as middle-class born children do.