We do not just listen to the message. We note the messenger. Is the source of information or education likely to be trusted and respected?
People are more likely to act on information if experts deliver it. But the similarities between the messenger and the recipient are also important. For example, it has been found that people from lower socioeconomic groups are more sensitive to the characteristics of the messenger being similar to them – in such aspects as age, gender, ethnicity, social class or status, culture and so on.
It follows that slightly older young people might be much better at delivering money management messages than someone in remote authority, such as a teacher. A retired bank manager may have acquired a lot of financial acumen over a long period. That does not necessarily mean that a young person will find their advice resonates with them sufficiently to change their behaviour.
Studies also show that in some circumstances an intervention can have greater impact by word-of-mouth recommendation. This seems particularly true among young people.
