Assessing global interest in financial inclusion information

Ozili, Peterson K (2025): Assessing global interest in financial inclusion information. Forthcoming in:

Abstract

This paper investigates the general level of interest in financial inclusion information using global data. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were used to assess the global interest in financial inclusion information. Using Google Trends monthly data from 2004 to 2021, the results show that the term ‘financial inclusion’ was more popular on the web in year 2017 than in any other year. Secondly, the highest level of interest in the term ‘financial inclusion’ by internet users was recorded in non-crisis months particularly after the global financial crisis but before the COVID-19 pandemic while the lowest interest in the term ‘financial inclusion’ by internet users was recorded in crisis months particularly during the global financial crisis and during the COVID-19 period. Thirdly, web search for information about financial inclusion was more popular in Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Fiji, Uganda and Zambia, while news search for information about financial inclusion was more popular in Fiji, India, Malaysia, Kenya, Singapore and Nigeria. This suggests that there was more interest in the term ‘financial inclusion’ among internet users in developing countries than in developed countries. Also, there is a negative correlation between interest in financial inclusion information and the level of country development.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Google Trends, financial inclusion, web search, development, internet.
• Subjects: G - Financial Economics > G2 - Financial Institutions and Services > G21 - Banks ; Depository Institutions ; Micro Finance Institutions ; Mortgages; G - Financial Economics > G2 - Financial Institutions and Services > G23 - Non-bank Financial Institutions ; Financial Instruments ; Institutional Investors

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