Conference Program

Financial education is a process through which citizens develop competencies that enable them to critically understand and interpret economic and social phenomena, make informed decisions, and act responsibly within their socio-economic context (Fornero & Lo Prete, 2023). In this regard, financial education contributes to personal and social well-being and supports the exercise of active citizenship (Andreatti et al., 2025; Parricchi, 2023).

The increasing complexity of the global context – characterized by rapid digitalization and the democratization of the financial system – has facilitated inclusion and access to services while also increasing citizens’ responsibilities and exposure to risks (Amagir et al., 2018; Kaiser & Lusardi, 2024). These processes, combined with generally low levels of competence observed worldwide, have made financial education a central focus of international policy (European Commission/OECD, 2023; OECD, 2020).

In Italy, financial education was recently introduced into the primary school curriculum as part of civic education (Gazzetta Ufficiale, 2024), with the Trentino-Alto Adige region anticipating national legislation in 2020. Despite its formal inclusion in the curriculum, operational challenges persist. In particular, curriculum design still tends to adopt an adult-centred approach, which overlooks children’s naïve economic theories and the family economic socialization processes that shape their development (Berti, 2004; Kardash et al., 2023; Zhao & Zhang, 2020). This perspective limits the ability of designing equitable and inclusive educational pathways that provide students with the tools to act responsibly as citizens.

This study presents the results of an empirical investigation conducted in the Province of Trento, involving a sample of 200 children aged 6, 8, and 10 and their parents. The research combines qualitative and quantitative methods and aims to identify the factors that determine the starting point for designing financial education pathways, considering children’s naïve economic theories and family economic socialization processes. This paper focuses on quantitative data obtained through a parental questionnaire, which assessed financial competence (Lusardi & Mitchell, 2023), the degree of family economic socialization (frequency and content of economic conversations, children’s involvement in economic decisions, allowance management), and parents’ perspectives on the introduction of financial education in schools. Descriptive and exploratory analyses were conducted to examine differences across groups defined by socio-economic characteristics, outlining key profiles of family economic socialization. Additionally, multiple correspondence and multivariate analyses were performed to identify meaningful patterns and profiles among selected variables.

Preliminary results indicate that parents’ financial competence, family socialization processes, and attitudes toward school programs are significantly associated with gender, educational level, income, and prior experiences. Bivariate analyses indicate significant associations between socio-economic status and the content of family economic discussions: parents with high-SES more frequently address topics such as economic sustainability, banking roles, and pension planning, whereas low-SES families tend to emphasize basic saving practices. Overall, the findings confirm the central role of the family in the unequal transmission of economic competencies and the potential reproduction of intergenerational inequalities. These results highlight the importance of integrating children’s perspectives and family contexts into the design of equitable, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate financial education pathways.