Analyzing the Influence of UPI Payment Convenience on Impulsive Spending Behaviour: Evidence from Generation Z University Students in Guntur District

This study set out to examine whether the convenience of UPI payments influences impulsive spending among Generation Z university students in Guntur district. With a final combined sample of 418 valid responses — exceeding the statistically calculated target of 385 — the evidence strongly and consistently supports that relationship across three independently collected rounds of data. UPI payment convenience is a significant, moderate predictor of impulsive spending, consistent with the broader “cashless effect” literature on digital payments lowering the psychological cost of spending. A refined multiple-regression analysis, possible only at this fuller sample size, indicates that ease of use and transaction speed specifically — more than general accessibility — are what independently drive this effect. Cashback/reward sensitivity and usage frequency also significantly predict impulsivity, while gender and transaction amount do not, with the gender null result now confirmed across two independent larger samples after an unstable pilot-subsample anomaly. Overall, the study delivers a robust, replicated, statistically well-powered answer to its central research question, contributes meaningful regional (non-metro) evidence to a literature concentrated in India's major cities, and identifies specific, actionable directions — particularly around cashback-driven spending and the ease/speed distinction — for students, institutions, and fintech platforms alike.

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