An Examination of Multidimensional Poverty, Job Search Anxiety, and Borrowing/Livelihood Strategies Among University Students

Authors : M. Macit Demir, Sema Buz

Pages : 520-531

View : 194 | Download : 346

Publication Date : 2025-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study examines the impact of neoliberal policies on the borrowing practices, livelihood strategies, and multidimensional poverty levels of university students, as well as their concerns about finding employment. The 1970s were a time of weakening welfare states and precarious labor, during which the economic vulnerability of young people worsened. These transformations did not remain confined to that period. Instead, they established the structural foundations for the ongoing insecurity, labour market fragmentation and increased economic risk that continue to affect young people’s lives today. Against this backdrop, a quantitative study was conducted using a correlational survey model with 502 Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University students enrolled during the 2025–2026 academic year. Data were collected using the “Debt and Livelihood Strategies Form”, the “Job Search Anxiety Scale” and the “Multidimensional Student Poverty Scale” and were evaluated using descriptive statistics, correlations, t-tests, and regression analyses in SPSS 25.0. The findings reveal that 42% of students have borrowed at least once, with one-third using credit cards or overdraft accounts. In a context where formal credit instruments are widely used, daily living expenses and educational expenses are the primary reasons for borrowing. Nevertheless, participants do not view borrowing as a normal livelihood strategy. Although formal credit channels are widely used, debt has taken on a new meaning after passing through the ideological filter of neoliberal accumulation. This process has normalised the use of formal credit instruments, particularly credit cards and overdraft facilities, as a means of covering everyday expenses. This has made indebtedness an invisible part of daily life rather than an exceptional coping strategy. Additionally, a low but significant positive correlation (r≈.29, p<.01) was found between job search anxiety and multidimensional poverty. Female students experience higher job anxiety than males (p<.001). Consequently, debt, poverty, and employment anxiety have emerged as mutually reinforcing components of the neoliberal regime of insecurity.
Keywords : Borçlanma, Geçim stratejileri, Yoksulluk, İstihdam kaygısı, Üniversite öğrencileri, Neoliberalizm

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