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Credit card debt and consumption: evidence from household-level data

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  • Tufan Ekici
  • Lucia Dunn

Abstract

This research investigates the relationship between credit card debt and consumption using household level data. This is a departure from the previous studies which have used aggregate measures of consumption and general debt such as the Debt Service Ratio or total revolving credit. We use a detailed monthly survey of credit card use to impute credit card debt to respondents from the Consumer Expenditure Survey sample. In contrast to some earlier studies using aggregate data, we find a negative relationship between debt and consumption growth. Our work shows that a $1000 increase in credit card debt results in a decrease in quarterly consumption growth of almost 2%. Investigations are also made into effects of debt within different age categories and into the impact of expected income growth on the debt-consumption relationship.

Suggested Citation

  • Tufan Ekici & Lucia Dunn, 2010. "Credit card debt and consumption: evidence from household-level data," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(4), pages 455-462.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:42:y:2010:i:4:p:455-462
    DOI: 10.1080/00036840801964526
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    Cited by:

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    2. Xinkuo Xu & Liyan Han, 2017. "Diverse Effects of Consumer Credit on Household Carbon Emissions at Quantiles: Evidence from Urban China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-25, September.
    3. Mateos-Planas, Xavier, 2009. "A model of credit limits and bankruptcy with applications to welfare and indebtedness," Discussion Paper Series In Economics And Econometrics 0910, Economics Division, School of Social Sciences, University of Southampton.
    4. Li, Jiayi & Luo, Sumei & Zhou, Guangyou, 2023. "Electronic payment, natural environment and household consumption: Evidence from China household finance survey," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    5. Grohmann, Antonia & Hamdan, Jana S., 2020. "The Effect of Self-Control on Borrowing: Experimental Evidence," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 264, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.
    6. Antonia Grohmann & Jana Hamdan, 2021. "The Effect of Self-Control and Financial Literacy on Impulse Borrowing: Experimental Evidence," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1950, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    7. Tufan Ekici, 2016. "Subjective Financial Distress in the Formation of Consumer Confidence: Evidence from Novel Household Data," Bogazici Journal, Review of Social, Economic and Administrative Studies, Bogazici University, Department of Economics, vol. 30(2), pages 11-36.
    8. Serkan Goksu, 2022. "Does Plastic Card Spending Have an Impact on Household Private Consumption Expenditures? Empirical Evidence Based on the ARDL Method," Istanbul Journal of Economics-Istanbul Iktisat Dergisi, Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 72(72-2), pages 845-875, December.
    9. Cash, Alyxandra & Tsai, Hui-Ju, 2018. "Readability of the credit card agreements and financial charges," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 145-150.
    10. Mujtaba Zia & Jennifer Logan, 2021. "Bank Revolving Credit as a Channel of Monetary Policy," The Review of Finance and Banking, Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti, Romania / Facultatea de Finante, Asigurari, Banci si Burse de Valori / Catedra de Finante, vol. 13(2), pages 147-160, December.
    11. Justin Gallagher & Daniel Hartley, 2017. "Household Finance after a Natural Disaster: The Case of Hurricane Katrina," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 9(3), pages 199-228, August.
    12. Weiou Wu & Apostolos Fasianos & Stephen Kinsella, 2015. "Differences in Borrowing Behaviour between Core and Peripheral Economies — Economic Environment versus Financial Perceptions," Working Papers 201516, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.

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