Money Attitudes Test
What are your attitudes and beliefs about money?
A number of measures have been developed over the years to determine attitudes and beliefs about money – a more modern five-factor model was developed to capture a comprehensive picture. The five aspects of one’s beliefs regarding money include Achievement and Success, Power and Status, Mindful and Responsible, Saving Concerns, and Financial Literacy Worries.
Research suggests that the happier and healthier a person considers themselves to be, the more they associate money with Achievement and Power and the less they are concerned with Savings Concerns and Financial Literacy. In contrast, those more likely to associate money with being Mindful and Responsible are typically worriers and savers.
What are your financial beliefs? For each of the following statements, indicate your level of agreement below.
Question 1 of 28
I never seem to have enough money.
| Disagree | Agree |
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The IDRlabs Money Attitudes Test (IDR-MAT©) was developed by and is the exclusive property of IDRlabs International. The IDR-MAT is based on the work of Ph.D. student Alixe Lay and Dr. Adrian Furnham, professor, and occupational psychologist. The present test is not associated with Dr. Furnham nor any other professionals or professional bodies affiliated with this written work.
The test provides feedback such as the following:
Achievement and Success: Achievement and Success is the belief that money is an explicit and measurable indicator of one’s achievements in life. To high scorers, a person’s net worth is a straightforward measurement of their overall success. To these people, having money creates a certain level of success and self-worth, and earning lots of money provides people with a personal feeling of productivity and achievement.
Saving Concerns: An attitude of Saving Concerns stems from the stress and worry that often accompany financial insecurity; people who score high in this dimension may struggle with anxiety, specifically around money, or suffer from generalized anxiety and depression induced by money worries. Individuals may be afraid that their savings will run out or that they won’t have enough money if unexpected bills arise.
Mindful and Responsible: The Mindful and Responsible money attitude describes the idea that money is sometimes thought of as a form of protection against the unpredictable nature of life and its potential misfortunes. To high scorers, money is protective as it allows people to buy things they need without being indebted to others. People who score high in this attitude typically work to save money by doing things such as budgeting and paying bills on time and enjoy a sense of pride from the responsibility they take with their finances.
Power and Status: Power and Status is the attitude that many people desire money, so those who have money could or should “show off” financially to earn respect and status from others. To these people, money gives social power and capital and is a major indicator of social standing. Indeed, others may sometimes feel inferior to those who are “well-off” or have an excessive amount of money, so the people with this attitude will often feel that this aspect of their attitude to money is confirmed in everyday life.
Financial Literacy Worries: This attitude refers to the self-belief that one is uneducated and naive about financial matters. A major concern and anxiety for individuals high in this money belief is their (imagined) poor understanding of money-related issues and jargon. People who score highly on this money attitude may feel anxious and ashamed about engaging in conversations about financial affairs.
As the developers and publishers of this free Money Attitudes Test, which allows you to screen yourself for five aspects of financial beliefs, we have striven to make this test as reliable and valid as possible by subjecting it to statistical controls and validation. However, free online quizzes such as the present Money Attitudes Test do not provide professional assessments or recommendations of any kind; the test is provided entirely “as-is.” For more information about our online tests and quizzes, please consult our Terms of Service.
Why Use This Test?
1. Free. This Money Attitudes Test is available to you free of charge and will allow you to obtain your scores related to your beliefs about money.
2. Contemporary. With the cost of inflation and living continuing to rise in many places around the world, it can be helpful to understand one’s financial attitudes.
3. Statistical controls. Statistical analysis of the test is conducted to ensure maximum accuracy and validity of the test scores.
4. Made by professionals. The present test has been made with the advice of people who work professionally with psychology and individual differences research.