Bank customers complaints, financial knowledge and gender

Abstract

This work aims to analyse the relationship between financial knowledge and the propensity of consumers to complain in the event of disagreement with a financial institution. A sample of 8,286 individuals from the Survey of Financial Competencies elaborated by the Bank of Spain is analysed. The results reveal that individuals with greater financial knowledge show a greater propensity to complain, presumably due to their heightened ability to detect possible fraud or abusive practices by financial entities. Gender itself is not relevant in the propensity to complain. However, when the sample is divided by gender, financial knowledge is more relevant for women than men. Additionally, the results reveal that in the female sample, propensity to complain is affected by self-confidence, in contrast to the male sample. The results suggest that the authorities should take practical steps to include financial knowledge in the educational curriculum.