Business · Companies · 1 day ago
A 21-country study finds people still treat money differently by its purpose
An international research team studied how 5,589 adults in 21 countries think about money.
People were more willing to travel to another store to save $5 on a $15 speaker than to save the same $5 on a $125 speaker.
They were also less willing to buy a replacement ticket after losing a ticket they had already paid for than after losing the same amount of cash.
These choices reflect mental accounting: people often sort money in their minds into categories such as entertainment or travel.
The researchers revisited seven situations used in earlier studies and found that the same patterns appeared in 133 of 147 country-level results.
The effects were generally weaker than in earlier research, but all seven situations showed mental accounting when the results were combined.
The findings suggest that payment methods such as cards and mobile payments have not erased these habits, which can affect everyday spending decisions.
Korea was not included in the final analysis, and the research does not say what will happen next.
A study of 5,589 adults in 21 countries found that people still treat money differently depending on what it is for.
Participants were more willing to travel to save $5 on a $15 speaker than on a $125 speaker, despite the same savings and travel time.
People were less willing to replace a lost concert ticket than to buy a ticket after losing the same amount of cash.
Researchers found mental accounting effects across all seven tested scenarios, though they were generally weaker than in earlier studies.
The study was conducted by an international research team that included the University of Padua and published in the Journal of Consumer Research.
- Who
- An international research team surveyed 5,589 adults in 21 countries.
- What
- The study found that people continue to assign money different values depending on its purpose, a pattern known as mental accounting.
- When
- The findings were published recently; the article was published on October 10, 2026.
- Where
- Participants came from 21 countries, including the United States, China, India, Vietnam, France and Germany.
- Why
- Researchers tested whether mental accounting still appears despite changes in how people pay and receive money.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
No direct quotes in the coverage so far.
Mental accounting began to be studied as a behavioral economics concept.
Researchers tested seven scenarios used in earlier research with adults in 21 countries.
The findings were published in the Journal of Consumer Research.
- Participants
- 5,589 adults
- Countries
- 21
- Scenarios
- 7
- Consistent results
- 133 of 147 country-level results, or 90.5%, matched the direction of earlier research
- Examples
- $15 and $125 speakers; a $5 saving in either case
- Excluded country
- South Korea was not included in the final analysis
Sources
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